The Forgotten
by Resha04
Summary: When he wakes up, he finds himself living in the world that tells him that his older son doesn't exist. Family Spain/Romano, France/Canada, Prussia/Germany, Norway/Iceland
1. Chapter 1 September 24th

**I do no****t** **own Hetalia or the movie**

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><p><em>On September 24th everything you've experienced,<em>

_everything you've known,_

_never happened._

Antonio wakes up to the ringing of his alarm clock, and his sleepy eyes pick the digital 7:00 blinking beside his head. He forces himself to sit up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He tries to remember why he slept late last night, and a glimpse of the old newspaper placed absurdly on his desk reminds him. He slept late because he couldn't push a memory out of his head, a memory that screamed to him and kept him wide eyed awake, and made his chest tightened and heavy.

A memory that his eldest son is dead.

The realization rushes him with waves of emotion, and Antonio finds himself having difficulty to breath.

Romano is dead.

In an airplane accident 3 months ago.

The airplane crashed to a mountain. No one survives.

He was only 10.

He fights back a sob and pushes himself to his feet. He can't let the loss and the pain it brought get him down. He still has a son, the younger twin of his dead son. He gets dressed, throwing the newspaper to his room's trash bin, and exits to the kitchen.

The kitchen is still empty, but the sounds from his son's room let him know that Feliciano has already wake up. Antonio puts bread into the toaster and grabs eggs from the refrigerator, throwing them into the frying pan.

When he's finished making breakfast and has just pour orange juice into 2 glasses, Feliciano appears on the door, smiling to him.

"Ve… Good morning, Dad!"

He beams back, finding the kid's smile hard to resist, and replies,

"Good morning, Feli! How about toasty and eggs for breakfast?"

"Ve! Yummy!" He sits down on one of the two chairs, swinging his short legs and humming a cheerful song, his curl bounces around with the movement of his head.

Antonio raises his eyebrow. He's just noticed it now. Do they only have two chairs? He thought they have three. He knows that there are only two of them now, but he never remove the third chair, because he found it difficult; so he let it be and convinced himself that they're gonna need it in case they have a guest.

"Feli, where's the other chair? Did you use it to grab something and forgot to return it again?"

Feliciano stops humming and looks up at him, tilting his head a little. His eyebrows are furrowed. He looks… confused.

"Ve… What are you talking about, Dad? We only have two chairs."

Antonio blinked. He checks the calendar. September 24th. Today's not April Fool, and Feliciano isn't a liar.

"Come on now, Feli. I'm happy that you're trying to cheer Dad, but don't make a joke like that, okay? It's not nice."

But Feliciano still looks confused.

"But we only have two chairs, Dad. I'm not joking."

Antonio sets down the breakfast plates he's holding and kneels down before the little boy, so he's facing him. He takes the boy's small hands in him and cups them gently. He says, "Feli, I know it was hard for you. It was for Dad too. It still is."

He bites his lower lip, trying to organize the words right. Feliciano just looks at him, clearly confused now.

"I know we have to let go. _Dad_ has to let go. But, it's not nice, you know, removing his chair. It's like, we remove him from our life. Well, I know that now I'm the one who just can't let go, but…"

He's rambling, he knows that, but he can't help but feel scared when he sees his son's unchanging confused expression, only change from really confused to much more confused. He takes a deep breath.

"Romano, your brother, is dead. There's… there's nothing we can do to change that." _I really can't let go, can I? Still having his chair around as if he's still here with us._

Silence follows. Antonio keeps his gaze to Feliciano's face, but the kid only looks confused, and now, scared.

"Dad, what are you talking about?"

Another silence as Antonio tries to register the words into his mind.

"I don't have a brother."

/

He knows he looks terrible. He has taken Feliciano to his elementary school, waving him goodbye, and left, still feeling the boy's worried glance over him.

Being told that your son is dead is horrible.

But being told by his _twin brother_ that you don't have another son is much, much worse.

_Maybe this is some kind of joke. Maybe Francis has brainwashed Feli or something. That must be it._

When he arrives back home, the first thing he notices is the photograph on the small buffet in the small hallway. The photograph is showing him and his twins; Romano on his back and Feliciano on his lap. He's laughing, Romano is pouting, and Feliciano is smiling widely.

The photograph used to be.

The photograph he's staring at right now shows him laughing and Feli on his lap. _Only two of them_.

He runs to the kids' room and slams the door open in his hurry.

Inside, there's a single kid's bed, a lone bible on the bedside table, a bunny doll (without its squirrel friend) peeking from the toys box, and a single pair of pajama put neatly on the bed.

He yanks the wardrobe open and is greeted by a single raincoat, a single child's jacket, and clothes that only belong to one kid.

And Antonio feels his blood run cold.

/

He doesn't know how but his feet has brought him to the town's cemetery. His body felt cold, a cold that's not caused by the September wind blowing harshly on his back.

He scans the gravestones with his eyes, searching. He's not sure what he wants to find, but he goes on.

He's already encircled the cemetery three times and doesn't find what he's looking for. His heart's beating fast inside his chest, but he forces himself to stay calm.

_Breath in, breath out._

_Maybe the old man who cleans here know something. He's known for remembering the ones buried here._

Antonio finds the old man in his small hut a bit outside the cemetery. The old man isn't so pleased about his question, but he lets him inside and tells him to sit down.

"You want to know who are buried here in the past three months you say?"

Antonio nods. "Yes, sir. I, I really need to find someone. I think he's buried here. A boy. 10 years old in age. He died in an airplane accident three months ago."

The old man frowns, seems to be thinking. "I don't think I know anyone who's died of an airplane accident being buried here."

"But here's the town's only cemetery!" Antonio pleads. "He can't be buried anywhere else!"

"I don't know who you're talking about!" The old man snaps. "Listen here, if you're very sure that kid's buried here, gimme a name. I keep a list of them."

"You do?" Antonio's eyes widen.

"If you're old and spend your days cleaning the graveyard, you'll find this more interesting to do." The man rises to his feet and goes to an old desk on the back of the room. He pulls out a notebook from the drawer. "Well? What's this kid's name?"

"Romano Vargas."

Antonio holds his breath as the old man scans through the pages. But several minutes later, the man shakes his head.

"No one goes by that name here. I've checked three times."

"But it can't be!" Antonio slumps in his seat. "Please, can you let me see it too?"

The old man raises his eyebrow in disapproval, but hands him the book. Antonio scans through the page of June until September. He scans again, and again. When he scans it again for about the fifth time, the old man yanks the book from him. "You've had enough, right? There's no one goes by that name in this cemetery!"

Antonio feels numb. _So Romano's… not dead? But then, where is he? What did Feliciano mean this morning? He doesn't have a brother?_

He leaves the hut without thanking the old man first, and walks out to the busy street. He doesn't even pay attention to his surrounding as he walks.

_**He's helping Romano with his things and backpack. They try to do it as quietly as possible so they won't wake Feliciano in the process. The poor kid caught a cold and now he has to stay in bed, while his brother and his friends get to go in a school trip.**_

"_**Alright, it's done." He smiles and pats the small backpack.**_

"_**Tch, I can do it myself. I don't need your help, you know." Romano crosses his arms on his chest and puffs out his cheeks, glaring at him.**_

_**Antonio laughs softly. "Of course you can, Romano. But we have to do this fast, so I helped. I know you're perfectly capable to do it yourself."**_

_**The kid blushes a shade of red, and he mumbles incoherently under his breath. He's so adorable like that! Antonio pulls him into a hug and laughs, earning small punches on his chest.**_

_**Feliciano shifts in his sleep, coughing softly, and both Antonio and Romano stop, put a finger on their lips and says, "sshhhhh…."**_

"_**Idiot Dad," Romano mutters, "You're the first to make the noises."**_

_**Antonio laughs quietly and ruffle Romano's hair, but then the voice of the schoolbus' horn is heard outside.**_

"_**They're here." Romano slings his backpack on his shoulder and puts on his shoes. They're on their way to exit the room when,**_

"_**You're leaving now, Brother?" **_

_**Both turn around and see Feliciano's slightly opened eyes on the bed beneath the blankets. Romano walks to him and pulls the blanket slightly higher on his chest. "Yep. Get well soon, idiot little brother, so you're gonna be fine when I return and tell you the stories."**_

_**Feliciano giggles. "I will, ve… So have fun, Brother. Tell me lots and lots of stories, okay?"**_

_**Romano nods. "I'll bring you souvenirs too. So, see you, Feliciano."**_

"_**See you, Roma."**_

_**Romano pokes his brother's cheek lightly and gives him a rough kiss on his forehead. Face blazing, he brushes past Antonio to the front door.**_

"_**Awwww, both of you are too cute, Roma! You'll give Dad diabetes!" Antonio pulls him into another tight hug and nuzzles his cheeks to the boy's.**_

_**Romano tries to break free, pushing him away with his short arms. "Lemme go, idiot Dad! I'm going to be late!" **_

"_**Awww, am I interrupting something?" Miss Bella has already on the doorway, smiling down at them.**_

"_**No, nothing, ma'am. Sorry for making you wait." Antonio laughs and releases his son, but not before giving him a kiss to both cheeks. "Have fun, Romano! But be careful, okay?"**_

"_**I'll be fine!" Romano grumbles and pulls away, walking to his teacher. **_

_**Miss Bella only laughs at the sight. "We'll be off now then, Mr. Carriedo."**_

"_**Please take care of Romano, Miss Bella."**_

"_**I will." She chuckles and takes Romano's hand, not noticing the child has blushed scarlet.**_

_**Antonio laughs and waves them goodbye as they make their way out the apartment.**_

He has made a mistake.

Romano is still alive.

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><p><strong>AN :**

This fic is a cross-over with a 2004 movie titled **The Forgotten**.

So, the main story is the same with the movie, but I change it a little. I also change the ending a little.

I choose to keep their last name as it is although they're parent and child, because the name Feliciano or Romano Carriedo just don't seem to sound right for me.

The italic quote above is the movie's taglines.

Critics are always welcomed.

But no flame please :)

Thank you for reading :D


	2. Chapter 2 The world seems crueler

**I do not own Hetalia nor the movie.**

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><p>"So, what brings you here today, Mr. Carriedo?"<p>

His psychiatrist is a young man in his late twenties. Calm face, understanding blue eyes behind a pair of glasses. Short grey hair frames his face. Maybe he's young, but he's helped Antonio getting over his wife's death 2 years ago. Always calm, but also understanding. His calm and collected voice always makes Antonio ease a little. But not today.

The room isn't large, but isn't so small either. There's a desk at the back of the room. Smooth, bluish grey desk, matches perfectly with the small blue-black-white flag that stands modestly on it. Estonia flag, the doctor's home country. A folder that the Doctor seems to be reading when he came is placed neatly on the desk. Ballpoint, pen, writing tools are placed in a small wooden box that's made for that purpose. At the center of the room, there are two comfortable arm chairs facing each other. A small cushion is placed on each. And between them is a small coffee table. A small glass vase sits on top of it, a combination of flowers with different but matching colors placed in it.

"There's something strange happening to me today, Doctor." Antonio sits on one of the armchairs. His brows furrow sternly. His brain is trying to sort out and register the series of strange events happened to him this morning, and failing miserably. He just can't understand what's going on.

Doctor von Bock sits on the other armchairs, his calm gaze stays on his patient. "Calm down, Mr. Carriedo. If you would please tell me what's bothering you, we can figure the way out of it."

He is not insane, he knows that, he's sure of that. So he takes a deep breath and starts.

"This morning, I woke up, and remembered a thing that I'm not sure I want to remember at all."

The doctor nods slightly in understanding, motioning him to continue.

"I remembered about my son's death. Then Feli told me that he doesn't have a brother."

The doctor starts to look concerned by this, but he keeps silent.

"It's absurd, because he does! Help me God, it's even his twin brother! I don't know what's happened to Feli, I think my friend brainwashed him or something, so I went to the town's cemetery just to make sure," he swallows and painfully forces the words out, "that Romano is dead, he's dead, but he existed. But,"

"Mr. Carriedo,"

"But I checked on the graves three times, and I didn't find his. I even went to check the list of the dead buried there that the old man of the cemetery makes, but he's not in the list anywhere!"

"Mr. Carriedo,"

"Then I remembered, that Romano isn't dead! He never boarded in that airplane at the first place! And I'm really confused right now because this morning I thought, no, I _remembered_ that he is dead when he is very much alive! And then Feli told me that he doesn't have a brother, and that's much much worse! And please Doc, I need your help to figure out why I was thinking like that and why the hell Feli thought like that, and,"

"Mr. Carriedo, calm down."

_What possibly happened to Romano._

He is not amnesiac or having memory trouble either because he's 100% sure and he swears on his country that he has twin children and that Romano is alive.

"Sorry, Doc, but I really need help right now." He rummages his hand through his hair in frustration. It's a good thing he's able to talk about this with someone. He thinks he'll go crazy if he tries to figure this out himself.

"I understand that you do, Mr. Carriedo. But please take a deep breath first."

He slumps back in his seat, but obeys. The doctor waits for several seconds until he's finally calm and speaks.

"Mr. Carriedo, I understand your concern. But please be assured, this problem is not as grave as it seems. I will help you with all I can for this, but please listen to my explanation first."

He's not convinced by that, but he manages a shaky reply, "Great. Thanks, Doc."

The doctor manages a small smile before his face turns serious. Antonio wonders how he can look serious but easing calm at the same time. He guess it's just the doctor's talent.

"Mr. Carriedo, I'm afraid to tell you this, but I believe that you're having a delusional disorder,"

And no, he's certainly NOT delusional.

"You're imagining a life that you don't live in. I know this sounds harsh, but you're imagining that you have twin sons while, as far as I know, your son Feliciano is an only child."

Not him too…

"I'm very sorry that I'm the one that has to break this to you, but your wife's not here, so…" The doctor looks truly apologetic, and sympathetic.

"No, no, Doc. You have to believe me. I am NOT delusional, I'm 1000% sure. He is real, Romano is real. He exists, Doc."

"You said that this morning you remembered about your son's death, but I believe that it was your wife's you remembered, . You're shaken, that is normal. I'm truly sorry to know that I wasn't able to help you to get over it two years ago, but I will now."

"It wasn't! Lovi's dead! She died in a car accident!" It still sends jolts of pain into him even now. His wife, his beloved Lovi, died. In that rainy night. Died because of that stupid car that slipped. "But Romano is not! He exists, Doc! I'm not delusional! I can even go to fetch his birth certificate so you'll believe me!" He stands up in frustration, knocking the armchair down in the process. Or is it anger?

"Mr. Carriedo, I know it's hard. It always is. But I will help you. I promise. We'll get through this."

"I don't need your help for that!" He is practically screaming right now. "I need you to help me find him, and figure out why the hell he just…disappeared from existence for everyone except me!"

"Mr. Carriedo, please sit down, we can talk about this, but you need to calm down first."

"Why the hell would I calm down when I don't know where my son is and people keeps telling me that he doesn't exist?"

"Mr. Carriedo, please-"

"Screw this," He feels his anger rising. "Thanks, Doc. For not helping at all."

And he storms out of the doctor's office, ignoring the concerned calls that follows him.

/

_I am not insane, I'm not having memory trouble, and I'm certainly NOT delusional._

Antonio stomps down angrily out of the building. He needs to cool his head down and think. His psychiatrist can't help him, so where does he have to go now? Where does he have to start?

Why does the world seem much crueler for him now?

Not paying attention to his surroundings, he bumps into someone. Someone familiar.

"Hey! Mind your step, will you? It's so not awesome at all."

He lifts his gaze to meet up with the crimson-eyed one. Silver hair, crimson eyes, the awesome-issue, and a small yellow bird chirping from its place in his hair.

It is his friend Gilbert alright.

"Gil!" He cries out almost in relief. The albino man tilts his eyebrow. "Excuse me? Do the awesome me-"

"Gil! Oh, thank God! Listen, do you know where I can find Ludwig?"

"-know you?"

"I need to ask him something. Oh wait, I can ask you too, but after that I'll need to talk to him, so-"

"Wait, wait!" Gilbert cuts his words abruptly by covering his mouth with his hand. "Whoa, slow down, dude! It's not awesome at all to rush, though I have to admit you have an awesome way to apologize to stranger, even though it's not as awesome as me." The bird on his head chirps in agreement.

_Stranger?_

Antonio pushes away the hand that's covering his mouth and croaks, "And it's not awesome at all making fun of your friend like that. Not in a situation like this."

The Prussian man tilts his head, looks confused. "Friend? Who are you anyway?"

_You must be joking._

"If you don't want to apologize that much, it's cool man. Just forget about it. The awesome me can see that you didn't do that on purpose anyway." He grins and taps Antonio's shoulder. "So no need to be like that. The awesome me will take my leave now." And he turns away to leave.

Antonio is stunned for several seconds before he hurriedly chases after the man and grabs his shoulder. "Gil, wait! If you want to joke around, fine! But tell me where I can find Ludwig!"

"Man, you're persistent, aren't you?" Gilbert snaps, turning around. "You're the one joking here. I don't know you, and I don't know any Ludwig!" His bird chirps again in agreement.

_Joking is joking, and enough is enough…_

"I don't know that you're this persistent just to make a joke, Gil!" Antonio snaps back, turning impatient. Time is on essence here and he certainly won't waste it with his friend's unique sense of humor. "You can pretend that you don't know me, but I don't know that you can even pretend about not knowing your brother. You're the one who always goes around and says 'West this,' and 'West that,' anyway."

The man glares at him. "That's why I said,"

"I'll leave you in peace if you will just tell me where I can find-"

"I don't have any brother!" Gilbert snaps.

"Your brother!" Antonio finishes.

A choking silence follows, as Antonio's mind tries to process Gilbert's words. His friend (is he?) glares at him. "Can't you just stop being so persistent? I don't know you, I don't know any Ludwig, and,"

Antonio remembers little Ludwig, tall for his age, short blonde hair, the only kid he knows who takes anything seriously, who's the most logic even his brother seems like a child compared to him, the one who is Feliciano's best friend and Romano's hateful enemy.

"I certainly, awesomely, don't have a brother."

God is joking, right?

"Good that you get it already." Gilbert pries Antonio's hand off his shoulder and turns away, leaving the Spanish man who _was_ his friend frozen on his spot, not believing what he's heard and feeling that the world's going insane.

Without any alert, the rain starts pouring down, lightly at first, but grows heavier in seconds.

_Romano, please,_

He's drenched wet from head to toes in mere seconds, but he doesn't care. He is too devastated to move, or to think.

_Please tell Dad that this is all just a dream_.

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><p><strong>AN:**

Yes, the psychiatrist is Estonia. I know it sounds so random because Estonia doesn't have any direct connection to Spain. I don't know if they even have connection at all. But the image of psychiatrist just fits him so, yeah, there he goes.

I forgot to mention it in the previous chapter, but I think it's obvious that Ms Bella = Belgium.

And yes, Antonio's wife is Fem!Romano =w=

Sorry that I'm not very good in describing physical situation such as room and appearances. I'll try harder next time.

And the next update might be next weekend. I'll try to keep this updating every weekend, but since college's started I can't guarantee it. But I'll still try, so please bear with me. :)

(I'm rambling, aren't I?)

**Oh, and I need 2 characters from Hetalia to be the "antagonist", so if you have any suggestion, please feel free to say. :)**

**Constructive critics are always welcomed, but please no flame.**

**Sorry for any grammatical mistakes and OOC-ness.**

**Thank you so much for those who put this fic in their alert and take time to read this. And also thank you for those who review. It really makes me happy ^^**


	3. Chapter 3 Behind the walls

**I do not own Hetalia nor the movie**

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><p>It is not until he's arrived home, changed to dry clothes, and checked his watch that he realizes that it's already time to pick Feliciano up from school. The heavy rain outside has ceased, so he only wears his jacket and makes his way to the school.<p>

The scenery outside is literally glimmering from the rain droplets that hung on each leaves of the trees, sliding down the grass, and covered the glass of the windows. Puddles have formed on the pavement and they splash water every time they're stepped on, causing faint curses from everyone who falls victim to it.

But the town doesn't cease down even after the rain. The streets are still busy and bustling with crowds, vehicles sprint past the roads. He is surrounded by people, but Antonio feels so alone, and so helpless.

He tries to brush away the memory of his previous encounter with Gilbert, but he just can't. A series of strange events that's happening to him right now is supposed to happen only in movies. He remembered about his son being dead, then he was told he never have a second son to begin with. To make things worse, he remembered his son being so much alive, but his own psychiatrist had denied the child's existence flat out, and to add much confuse to the already confusing events, one of his best friends doesn't remember about him and doesn't even remember about himself having a brother.

Something is clearly not right here.

Maybe, just maybe, Francis can help him. If he turns out to not remembering him just like Gilbert, he will at least remember his son, Matthew, right? He loves that child so much. He always says that his cute but shy Matthew is the love of his life, after his wife died giving birth to him. And Matthew is somewhat close friends with Romano. So he must know something. He must know at least about the school trip. They go to the same school!

"Dad, ve!" The familiar voice snaps him back from his thoughts. He didn't realize that he's arrived at Feliciano's school. The kid is waving to him excitedly from his place at the courtyard bench. Antonio smiles and waves back. He can't let that child to be worried, can he? Feliciano is so kind-hearted that he will get sad or scared for something he doesn't even understand.

His son runs to him, his adorable smile is still in his face, and he throws himself into Antonio's stretched out arms. "Ve…! Ciao, Dad!"

Antonio laughs and pulls him into a tight hug. "Hola, Feli! How's school?"

"It was fun!" Feliciano beams and giggles. "Miss Bella told us a story from her homeland, and Mr. Toris showed us our countries in geography. He showed me where Italy and Spain are! Mr. Feliks brought his homemade cookies and shared them with us! I painted in art class and Miss Lily told me that mine was good and she liked it! But I fell asleep in Mr. Heracles' history lesson so I didn't get the chance to listen to the whole story."

"Good to hear that!" Antonio laughs and ruffles his hair, causing another giggle from Feliciano. "Hey Feli, is Matthew present today?"

Feliciano looks at him with that same confused expression he wore that morning. "Ve?"

"Matthew, the kid who always have his stuffed polar bear with him. Uncle Francis' son. He's present today, isn't he? Dad needs to ask him something."

Feliciano tilts his head. "Ve… Dad, I don't know who you're talking about. Who's Matthew?"

Antonio shivers. _Don't tell me that Romano and Ludwig aren't the only ones._

"Sorry Feli. Just, just forget that Dad ever asked that, okay?" He forces out a smile. Feliciano doesn't seem convinced, but he managed a light, confused nod.

Antonio rises to his feet. "Shall we go then?" He smiles down at him. But his son keeps looking at Antonio like his father has grown a second head or something; confused and scared, and uncertain.

"Ve, are you okay, Dad?" He asks as they make their way out of the school grounds, hand in hand. "You talked about weird things since this morning."

And now he's made his son worry. "Of course, Feli. Dad's okay. I just need to find out some things. But I can't take you with me, so will it be okay if you stay at Miss Elizabeta's house until I pick you up this evening?"

"Ve, yes, but are you sure you're okay, Dad?" Feliciano's brows furrowed in an adorable worried expression.

Antonio smiles down at him. "Yup. Dad's perfectly, 100% fine! I'll cook you pasta for breakfast tomorrow, okay?"

Feliciano beams at him, "Ve! Pastaa!"

And Antonio can only laugh at that.

/

Antonio knows that it only seems like he's running in circle. Feliciano doesn't even know his brother exists, and even Gilbert doesn't remember having Ludwig. So what are the chances for Francis to remember he has Matthew?

But he has to try, because if not, he doesn't know what else he can do.

So after he takes Feliciano to Elizabeta's house and explain the situation (in which she kindly agrees to look after Feliciano in his absence, saying that it's her pleasure and has already made a list of what she, her husband, and Feliciano will do during their time), he walks to Francis' apartment, since it's not too far from his own.

He knocks his friend's apartment door and waits. The door is opened by a French man with blond hair tied into a ponytail wearing a white shirt that's only half-buttoned with his face unshaved. The smell of wine and woman's perfume lingers from inside. Antonio frowns. Francis is a flirter, yes, but he never brings women into his apartment, not with his 10 year old son around. The scene only confirms one thing and Antonio feels that his world has begun to tumble down.

"May I help you?" The French asks, tone polite, as polite as a Francis can be without sounding like flirting.

"I, uhh, do you know me?" His question sounds dumb even for him, but after what he experienced with Gilbert, he wants to be on the safe side.

Francis raised his eyebrow and chuckles. "I'm the one who should ask you that question, dear sir. But no, I don't know you."

The remaining bits of his already tumbling down world mercilessly fall to pieces. But one bit is still lingering, still hoping.

"Of course you don't." Antonio laughs nervously. "Should I introduce myself then? I'm Antonio. My son is friend with your son, Matthew."

The blond man just looks at him with one eyebrow raised. Antonio takes his silence as a good sign even though his expression certainly is not.

"Sorry to bother you, but can I see Matthew? I need to talk about some things with him."

The French's both eyebrows raised. They just stare at each other in silence for several awkward seconds before he smiles to him and says, "Nice to meet you, Antonio. But I'm afraid that you've got the wrong person."

"W-what do you mean?" Antonio's heart sinks.

"I don't have a son. I'm not even married."

The last lingering hope dims and falls down to the mountain of crumbling pieces of his world below. No, no, no. Antonio won't back down this time. If Francis doesn't remember, he'll make him. Without Matthew's help, he'll be lost forever. He'll never find Romano. And he'll be damned for that. He can't imagine losing that boy, his boy.

"No! You do have a son!" He forces his way in past a surprised Francis and into the living room. "His name's Matthew Williams! You always say that he's your most precious person, right? So you'll remember about him! I'll make you!" He knows Matthew's room is there, right next to Francis' bedroom.

But what he finds is only one bedroom, Francis'. Next to it there's nothing, only walls with cream colored wallpaper, decorated with a picture of Eiffel. A small wooden series of drawers stands on the empty space. On top of it is a glass vase filled with roses and a framed photograph of Francis with the Paris' night scenery on the background.

He feels shiver runs down his spine. He remembers the scene in his apartment; only two chairs, photograph of only two people, kid's room with only one's belongings.

_Whoever done this, they're serious. They're deadly serious._

"What a high spirited fellow you are, non? I can call the police for the case of breaking in, you know." Francis walks in, smirking. He certainly doesn't seem pleased.

"Where's his room?" Antonio asks, his voice's shaking.

"I've called the police," Francis says, his tone dangerously calm. "I really don't want to do this to someone who looks as attractive as you, but you leave me with no choice. I can't let a runaway from the asylum barging in my house you know."

"I'm not from the asylum!" Antonio cries. "I know you, you're Francis, and you have a son! Just like I've told you! His name's Matthew! I am NOT crazy!"

_Not you too, the last person I expect to judge me crazy._

"It's not as bad as it seems, Antonio. Asylum might be harsh, but they're just trying to make you get better." Francis almost looks sympathetic. Antonio feels like he can tear down walls now in his frustration. _Why is everyone thinking I am crazy? Why can't they just think that the one who has a problem is them and not me? I am not crazy, and I am not delusional._

But the next thing he knows is he's pinned against the walls by strong arms of two men from the police. A young man with blonde hair and sharp gaze who seems to be their captain says, "We've received your report, Sir. Are you hurt anywhere?"

Francis shakes his head. "No, I'm fine, Lieteunant Zwingli. Thank you for coming." He turns his gaze to the pinned Antonio. "This man barged in my house and started rambling nonsense. I think he's a runaway from the asylum."

"We'll check it out and make sure he won't do any harm again."

"Thank you. But please don't be too harsh with him. He seems to have been through a lot."

The officer looks at him skeptically, but he replies nonetheless, "We understand." His two subordinates take Antonio away, locking their arms around his so he won't escape. Lieteunant Zwingli salutes at him. "We'll be taking our leave then, sir."

Francis nods and they leave. Closing his front door, he sighs. What a way to start a day. He looks at his cuckoo clock on the wall. It's already evening and the sky has gotten dark outside so he guesses the term 'start a day' doesn't fit anymore.

"What nonsense," he mutters, running his hand through his hair. "Me having a son? Many women will be crying if it's true." He chuckles. "Well, I guess I'll better start making this room at least look better." He looks around him, where the mess of empty bottles of wine and the scattered couch cushions is taking place.

He starts by collecting the empty bottles, but when one of the bottles rolls away to the drawers, he's distracted by that part of the wall.

_That man earlier was really interested on this wall._

He stands up and examines it, eyebrows knitted together. He finds nothing strange there. Even the fading cream of the wallpaper is the same. It's like the walls have always been there.

_Silly me, because it has always been indeed._

But he can't take his eyes away from it. Something in his mind tells him to investigate the wall further. So he lifts his hand and knocks. And he feels chill runs down his spine. The part where he knocks sounds weird, like there's a space behind it. It reminds Francis of the horror movie he watched months ago, about a hidden room behind the walls.

_It can't possibly be, can it?_

He hesitates. But his curiosity and the strange unknown feeling in his stomach win. He pushes the drawers away and removes the picture hung on the wall. Just to make sure, he puts his ears against the wall and knocks again. Judging by the sound it makes, there's a high possibility that a room exists behind it.

Now, where did he put the shovel? Oh yes, in the kitchen closet. So he goes to fetch it and after he has his shovel in hand, he begins tearing down the wall. If there proves to be nothing behind it, he will pay the damage to the landlord, and he will never listen to the trick his mind is playing on him anymore, and certainly not to a suspicious man who suspiciously might be a runaway from an asylum, no matter how attractive he is.

A loud muffled knock from the room next door accompanied by a series of complaints distracts him for a second, but he only shrugs apologetically and continues. He will just tell his lovely girl of a neighbor (she's from Seychelles, if he remembers correctly, a sweet girl indeed she is), that the woman he invites is drunk and is the one making the noises.

The wall is more fragile than he's expected, so in half an hour or so, Francis is standing before a big hole on his wall.

A big hole that leads to a room.

A kid's room.

A single kid –sized bed covered in colorful maple - patterned bed cover and sheet stands at the corner. Canada's flag and national flower, he remembers, oddly.

A red kid's raincoat is hung beside the wardrobe. Beneath it is a pair of kid's boots.

A small simple toy box is next to a desk with books and writing tools set neatly on it. A lone stuffed polar bear is sitting on the toy box, looks a little dusty. Its eyes look like they're looking at him, lonely and pleading; it makes Francis shivers.

And when he looks around the cream colored room, the wall is decorated with drawings that looks like they're drawn by a child. A picture of Eiffel with crayons. A picture of a polar bear. A picture of a family of three, a father, a mother, and a little son, is having a picnic in the park with meal consists of what looks like pancakes topped with maple syrup. A picture of a family holding hands, a blonde-haired and bearded father who's wearing a blue-white-red sweater, smiling widely with sparkles around him; a mother who's wearing a Canada's flag patterned shirt and has her long hair tied down to two pigtails, her violet eyes gleaming behind a pair of glasses; and lastly, a little son with wavy blonde hair and violet eyes, his hands are held by both his parents, smiling a happy smile. A stuffed polar bear is on his feet.

On the corner of the drawing is the writing that reads, "For mama and papa, from Mattie"

_Matthew_.

His cute, adorable Matthew. His Matthew who's shy and doesn't stand out. His Matthew whose voice is always too soft for everyone to hear. His Matthew who always carries the stuffed polar bear his mother and father had bought for him before his birth. His Matthew who looks up at him and smiles his shy but adorable smile. His Matthew who kisses him before he goes to school, when he picks him up after school, on special days, and before he goes to sleep, tucked in safely beneath his blanket. His Matthew who smiles when he sees the picture of his late mother, but cries silently in night afterwards.

His Matthew who always reminds him of his wife Mathilda everytime he smiles, looks at him, laughs, or blushes.

His Matthew who is his everything, not because he looks so much like his mother nor because he's the last gift his wife left for him.

His Matthew who is his everything because he _is Matthew_.

His son.

How could he forget?

How on earth?

Francis turns around and rummages through his messed up living room until he finds his cellphone. He snatches his jacket from the hanger next to the door and runs out, ignoring his wide opened apartment. He's going to have a talk with Antonio. He's going to get an explanation for this. He's going to find out where his son is.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

Whew, the longest chapter I've written for this fic, at least for now. I'm trying to improve with the description of scenery and situation, but I hope I didn't stray away from the suspense I'm trying to build.

The explanation of why Francis and Gilbert don't remember about Antonio (since I take that from the movie and I tried to figure it out myself so I'm really really sorry if it sounds absurd or weird) is because their children (and brother for Gil) have connection. Matthew is Romano's closest friend and Ludwig is his hateful enemy. Everyone that has close connection with the missing kids will forget each other. Since Gil, Francis, and Antonio are the children's closest family and coincidentally they're best friends, they forget about each other.

In the movie, the father of the protagonist's missing son's friend doesn't remember about the protagonist and about his own daughter (the protagonist's missing son's friend).

I hope I don't make you more confused than you already are… But if you still are, please feel free to ask. :D

And yes, Francis' wife is Fem!Canada. ^^

Constructive critics are always welcomed.

Thank you for reading, and reviewing, and putting this story to alert or fave. It really means a lot to me.

*huggies*


	4. Chapter 4 Habits die hard

**I do not own Hetalia nor the movie**

* * *

><p>It is one confusing day for Gilbert Beilschmidt. When he woke up in the morning, the first thing he did was brush his teeth. He found it strange since "Awesome people don't brush teeth first thing in the morning!"<p>

Then when he went out on a stroll, he bumped with a man he doesn't know who started blabbing about someone named Ludwig and his brother. That's just ridiculous because the awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt doesn't have a brother! Even Gilbird agrees, and his pet bird is almost as amazing as he is so he must be right!

And now he's still pissed of that man. What a way to ruin an awesome day. Maybe a little awesome, and a little confusing. Gilbird chirps in agreement. "Well, I guess the awesome me will do grocery then! Even if doing grocery is boring and not awesome at all!" He turns left at the intersection and enters a shop. He picks a trolley and starts looking at the aisles. But not before he takes out his wallet and searches for a shopping list. He fumbles for a while searching for it before suddenly stops. He's confused. Since when did he make a shopping list? Doesn't his shopping always consist of wurst and beer and nothing else? Wait, how the hell did he survive if those are what he eats everyday. As awesome as wurst is, awesome people still need vegetables and another food.

Gilbert scratches the back of his head, confused. If he never makes a shopping list, why did he look for it? It is a confusing day indeed. Maybe the man earlier had made it into a more confusing day. Gilbert brushes his thoughts off and walks through the aisles, grabbing some packs of wurst, several bottles of beer, and a few cans of cola. As he pays at the cashier, his mind wonders about what to do after he gets home and have lunch. Maybe he'll play cards with his Indian neighbour, or update his blog, or maybe he'll offer to help his new neighbour organizing his things. That kid seems really shy and often gets into trembling fit. So maybe the awesome him will be his friend! As he leaves the shop, Gilbert still can't decide what to do so he decides that he'll think about it once his stomach's full.

Once he arrives at his apartment, he tosses his apartment key onto the dining table and puts the groceries at the kitchen counter. He grabs a pack of wurst and starts making lunch, while humming some songs. When the lunch is ready and the table is set, Gilbert pours beer into a glass and starts chowing the food down. When he finishes, he drops the dishes into the kitchen sink and gulps down an entire glass, making a relieved sound and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Gilbert pours another glass of beer, and opens a can of cola, bringing both to the table, his mind's wondering of choosing between updating his blog or making friends with his Latvian new neighbour. He puts the cola on the table and throws himself at the old couch. Seeping his beer, his mind goes into a dilemma. Blog or neighbour? Updating the blog sounds more fun than going to his neighbour and trying to start a conversation without making the kid trembles like a drill. He almost finishes his beer when his gaze falls to the opened can of cola on the dining table.

What is that cola doing there? Wait, he was the one who opened it.

Why did he open it? He has no idea.

And most of all, why did he buy cola? He never drinks anything other than beer and sometimes water. Cola sucks! Beer is awesome!

This confusing day is starting to get in his mind. He puts the glass of beer down. First the brushing teeth event, then the strange man, followed by him looking for a non-existent shopping list. Then cola?

As he starts to think about it more, he finds more questions about his own life. Without vegetables, without washing the dishes and cleaning his apartment. And he questions why the hell his apartment is so damn clean when he doesn't remember to have ever cleaned at all?

His strangely normal life that is filled with many holes, and his questionable acts just now. No, wait. They're not holes, and they're not questionable. He can live like that because there's someone else. Someone else who makes him making shopping lists that consist of not only wurst and beer but also cabbage, carrot, potato, celery, eggs, and many more, washing the dishes, and cleaning the apartment. He does all that because he doesn't live alone, and he has to be a responsible…. what?

His 'questionable' acts are his habits.

He brushed his teeth because that someone is the one who wakes him up in the morning and drags him to the bathroom, telling him to brush his teeth first because his mouth reeks of alcohol. He bought cola because that someone is still underage to drink beer, so he usually buys cola and persuades him to drink with… big brother.

Gilbert stands up so suddenly he makes Gilbird chirps loudly and flies to the air in surprise. "It's West!" He exclaims loudly to no one. "It's West!" He literally almost flies to his bedroom which he occupies with his brother, calling his name. "West! Ludwig! Where are you? Mein Gott! I'd never imagined that the awesome me will forget my awesome little brother! West!"

It's after he's trashed his own apartment in his futile search for his brother (he even looks into the trash bin and in the kitchen drawers) that his cellphone buzzes and rings. He fumbles for it and looks at the screen. It's an unknown number, but he smashes the dial button and puts the device to his ear. "Where's my brother?"

"Gilbert!" The caller curses in French before saying, "I know what you're screaming about, but don't do that on the phone!"

"Francis?" Why has he just remembered about his friend too? And oh God, Antonio… "Listen! There's someone out there who does something to West and manipulate my memories or something so I didn't remember that I even have him! And Antonio-"

"I know." Francis cuts in, his tone is tense but his voice is somewhat calm. "I," there's a pained tone added to his voice. "I also experienced it. Whoever he is or they are, made me forget about Matthew, and about Antonio as well. He came to me just now, but I made the police take him into custody."

"You _what_?"

"You hear that right. I called the police and they took him into custody. I know I'm to blame. I didn't remember about Matthew and him, so I did that. But we'll talk more later, okay? Just meet me at the police station. I'm on my way there."

They better do, because Gilbert has tons of questions inside his head that's waiting to burst out. "Gotcha." He ends the talk and runs outside, snatching his jacket. Gilbird chirps in annoyance from his head.

/

When he arrives at the police station, Francis is already there, standing a bit far from the building and shifting anxiously. When he sees him, he straightens and waits as Gilbert reaches him, panting.

"You better start explaining," Gilbert hisses as he tries to recover his breath.

"It can wait. We need to discharge Antonio first, and I can't do that because I was the one who called the police. They won't believe me." Francis taps his shoulder. "So, I need you to do that."

"How?" He huffs and straightens. Francis raises one eyebrow.

"I leave that to you. I thought you're an expert in lying and convincing people, aren't you?"

"Who do you think I am?" Gilbert manages a grin. "Leave it to me, but both of you better have an explanation for this."

He turns and enters the building. The building itself is not too large and not too small. It stands modestly at the center of the town. The sign "POLICE" on its front walls is a bit worn out and the color has darkened, but that's enough to emit the aura of might, protectiveness, and of course, old. Gilbert steps inside and walks through the almost empty hall with some waiting –room-modelled chairs, vending machine, and a big plant on the corner, and heads straight to the receptionist table. A young woman wearing a pair of glasses is sitting behind it. Her hair is tied into two long braids on her back and she has an intelligent face. She looks up at him and says, voice firm. "Can I help you?"

"Hi! Uum, is there a person named Antonio who's taken here today? It's this afternoon I think." Gilbert tries to grin in a convincing way but it comes out sheepishly and unconvincing. The woman raises one eyebrow but she replies, "Please wait a moment." She checks through her notebook and 30 seconds haven't even passed when she lifts her head and says, "Did you mean Mr. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, sir? If you did, yes, he's here."

"Yeah! It's him! That's a relief." Gilbert scratches the back of his head and laughs nervously. He curses inwardly; he's not really good with smart women. "So, can I take him home? I'm his friend."

The women looks at him skeptically. "You'll have to talk to Lieteunant Zwingli for that, sir. He's the one in charge."

"You don't mean Vash Zwingli?" He's grinning from ear to ear now. She nods. "Yes, I do. I'll call him now so please wait for a moment, sir."

"Cool. Thanks!" Gilbert walks to one of the chairs and plops himself down. In a minute, from one of the doors in the hall, a blonde haired and sharp-eyed Vash Zwingli walks out. He nods lightly to the woman and approaches Gilbert, frowning. "What do you want, Beilschmidt?"

"Hey! Is that how you greet an old friend?" Gilbert jumps to his feet and hits him on the back. "I see you're still as tense as ever."

Vash glares at him. "The same goes for you. What do you want?"

"My friend was taken in this afternoon. I believe it was a misunderstanding." Gilbert grins to him. "His name's Antonio."

Vash raises his eyebrow. "The one that broke into someone's house and maybe is a runaway from the asylum? I'm surprised you have such friend."

"That's why I said it was a misunderstanding," _Wow, that's one of serious charge_. Asylum? "He's just confused because I feed him weird food last night. He's completely sane, the awesome me assure you."

Vash studies his face, expression skeptic. "Why should I believe you? Though it's true I've contacted the asylum and didn't find anything, but it's not impossible that he's mentally disturbed."

Gilbert flinches inwardly. _Ouch_. "Because I'm awesome!" Vash just keeps staring at him. "Okay, okay! Sheeesh, you can't take a joke? Let me see him and I'll prove that he knows me."

The young lieteunant eyes him for a few more seconds before turning on his heels, gesturing Gilbert to follow him. He takes him through another door and another set of hallway before finally stops in front of a cell. Gilbert peeks inside and sees the dark figure of a man with his face in his hands. He calls out loud before he can stop himself. "Oi! Toni!"

The man's head snaps up and his eyes scan the cell frantically before stopping on him. Gilbert grins and waves. "The awesome me is here to get you out."

Antonio blinks. "…Gilbert?"

"Yep, that's me!"

"How do you-" He closes his mouth when he sees Gilbert's expression, signaling him to just follow his scheme. "Thank you?"

"You're welcome!" Gilbert laughs and hits Vash again on the back, receiving another glare. "You see, Vash? So can I take him back now?"

The blonde sighs and frowns in disapproval, but he replies, "Alright. But you still have to pay for him."

"What?" Gilbert whines. "But I told you it was mis-"

"For civilian's disturbance" Vash cuts him short. "Pay and he's free to go."

"Aw man, you suck."

/

Francis is sitting on a bench in a nearby park when they find him. Seeing them, he rises to his feet and approaches them, face anxious. "Antonio! You okay? I, sorry for the earlier."

"Don't worry Francis. It's cool." Antonio manages a tired smile. "I know why you did that. But I'm glad that you and Gil are here. That means both of you…"

"Yes, we remembered." Gilbert finishes the sentence. "And you better have damn explanation for that, Toni. Because it's almost creepy that I didn't remember about West at all."

"What's horrible about it isn't the memory loss itself, but the fact that we believed that we don't have Matthew and Ludwig in the first place." Francis looks worried, almost devastated. "It's terrible."

"I know," Antonio replies, running his hand through his hair frustrately. "I woke up this morning with the memory of Romano being dead, and then Feli said there's no Romano at the first place." He bites his lip.

"It's terrible." France looks at him sympathetically. "Giving the fact that he's his twin brother." Antonio nods, face falls.

"Don't tell me you don't have the explanation either, Toni." Gilbert says, his face's serious. "Because if you don't, we'll really lose our chance to find out about what happened to them, and I don't like it. I don't like it at all."

"Sorry, but I don't know anything either." Antonio sounds desperate. "I just know that whoever do this, they're deadly serious giving the fact they'd go as far as removing the children's proof of existence in this world."

"We've known that, duh." Gilbert rolls his eyes. "Because I couldn't even find West's belongings and I bet that the photograph we had together shows only me now, just like in those horror movies."

"That's also the case for me." Antonio shivers as he remembers the altered photographs and the kid's room.

"It seems that our chat has to wait," Francis suddenly says, lowering his voice. "There's someone following us. Don't act suspiciously, don't turn around. I think he's at the alley beside the police station now."

Antonio's eyes widen and Gilbert's mouth is opened slightly. He hisses, "Since when?"

"I've noticed him since you entered the station, my friend." France's tone is one of the forced calm. "Whoever he is, he's up to no good."

"It's possible," Antonio swallows and looks up, face serious and determined. "That he has something to do with the children's disappearance and all this."

Francis and Gilbert exchange looks, and they seem to be agreeing. "What will we do now?" Gilbert says. Antonio thinks for a moment before replying, "We leave this place, let him follow us, and create an opening where we can capture him. He must know something, and we'll find out."

"Wow, Toni. I didn't know that you have a thing for action." Gilbert grins. "Okay then, shall we go now?"

"Antonio, what makes you so sure he has something to do with Matthew and the others?" Francis seems to be worried.

"My insticts." A quick reply. "No, it's just, the only bad thing that happen to us today is that, and he's up to no good, so it must be that."

Francis heaves a sigh, but he also looks determined. "Okay. We go then?"

Antonio nods, and the three of them leaving the park into the crowded street, blending with people. From the corner of his eyes, Antonio notices that a man with black trench coat also leaves the alley and begins following them, doesn't even trying to cover his act anymore. And Antonio gulps when two other men with the same coat follows his step, tailing them.

"Guys?" He perks up. "Do you notice that our stalker is increased in number?"

"Now we have one for each," Gilbert frowns. "And I don't know if they're pro or not."

"Let's split up," Francis says. "So they'll split up too. One of us corner his chaser, the others just try to lose them and meet up with the one with the cornering mission."

"I'll do that," Antonio says. "Where should I corner him?"

"How about the old warehouse Lovi's grandfather owns where we used to play?" Gilbert suggests. "Remember the tricks we put there?"

Antonio nods. "Now?"

Both his friends nod and they split up, walking faster into the crowd. Antonio walks around for several minutes, glancing to the man who's following him from time to time from the corner of his eyes. He walks until he reaches the suburbs of the town where the warehouse is located. He quickens his pace until he's running, and he senses the man starts running too.

Maneuvering through people that becomes less and less, Antonio makes his way to the warehouse. Good thing that Lovina's grandfather never fixes the backdoor, because the main double doors are locked. He circles the building to the back and pushes the backdoor open, stepping in. He blinks to adjust with the warehouse's darkness and after that quickly gets to one of the traps activation place.

When the man arrives, he carefully takes one step in. When nothing comes, he quickly walks in, eyes searching frantically as he reaches into his coat. That's when a sack swinging down from nowhere and knocks him, hard enough to send him flying to the other side of the building. The room is soon covered with dust. Coughing and cursing, the man tries to stand up frantically, only for one of his legs to fall down through the floor, locking him in place. He tries to pull his trapped leg up, but cries out in pain as the wood splinters graze it. Antonio comes out of his hiding place, whistling without humor. "And I haven't even activate the next trap. This building is old indeed."

His "stalker" tries to wrench his leg away again, but Antonio taps him on his shoulder. "Don't bother, good sir. Because you're going to stay here for a moment."

The man quickly reaches into his coat but Antonio wrenches his hand out and bends it, causing the man to cry out in pain and release his gun. Antonio kicks it away, keeping the man's hands locked in his grips. "Too bad. But you won't need it anymore." He squeezes the man's hands harder as the latter struggles. "I'm not in a good mood now. My son's missing and you better tell us everything you know or you're going to regret it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

I upload this chapter a bit earlier because I'll spend weekend at my grandma's tomorrow and there's no internet connection there.

I tried to make Gilbert a good big brother without losing his mischievous attitude. I just hope I don't fail miserably.

I'm sorry about the lame chasing scene at the last part. Truly sorry...

And as always, I'm sorry for any OOC-ness and grammar mistakes. Constructive criticisms are welcomed but please no flame.

Thank you for reading and reviewing :)


	5. Chapter 5 Confrontation

**I do not own Hetalia nor the movie**

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><p>"Where are the children?"<p>

The warehouse is dark. The only source of light is the pale moon that shines through holes at the roof. Old building indeed. The floor creaks and dust covers the area.

Antonio, Francis, and Gilbert stand around the man tied on a chair. His leg has bloody scratches and bruises everywhere from his fall through the wooden floor earlier. His right cheek is bluish purple from Gilbert's punch. But the three men don't feel even the slightest of pity to him. They all agree on one thing, he deserves it.

"Where are the children?" Antonio repeats, his tone is dangerous. "What did you do to them?"

The man keeps silent, and Antonio kicks him on the stomach, sending him tumbling down with the chair. The man cries out in pain.

"Tell us!" Antonio's voice rises. "Where's my son? Where are the children?"

"I can't tell you," the man replies, voice barely above a whisper. "I can't."

"You son of a bitch!" Gilbert grabs him by his collar and pulls him up, not even flinching from the addition weight of the chair. "Don't play dumb! Where's my brother? I'm fucking pissed right now, and I don't have all day to sit here with you while he is out there! WHERE'S MY BROTHER?" With his other hand he grips the man's neck, making him chokes and lets out a strangled sound.

"Gilbert! That's enough! We need him alive!" Francis tries to pull his hand away from the man, but the albino doesn't even budge. "Gilbert! We need him to find Ludwig!"

With a growl, Gilbert releases his grip and lets the man falls down to the floor, coughing frantically. "And how will we know now? He's wasting our time here while the children are out there, God knows if they're even alive or not!" He balls his fists. "I don't even know if West is…"

Francis puts his hand on his shoulders, giving him a light comforting squeeze. He turns to the tied man. "Tell us," He says, voice calm, but his fists are clenched. "Those children are innocent. Whatever you're trying to do, they have nothing to do with it."

The man slowly blinks. "I can't tell you." His voice is low.

Francis charges at him, but Antonio steps between them. "Wait, wait!"

The French stops on his track, looking at his friend, eyes full of hatred and anger, but Antonio knows it isn't directed at him. He turns to the man and bends down so they're eye to eye. "You don't have children, do you?"

The man avoids his gaze. Antonio continues, voice lower. "My son is only 10. Those children are also. They have nothing to do with what you're planning. Tell us how to get them back."

"I can't tell you," the man says again.

"Please…" He's willing to do anything. If it means he has to beg or down on his knees, he will. Anything, as long as he can get Romano back, safely into his arms. "Tell us."

The man shakes his head. "I can't."

"No one will blame you," Antonio whispers. "I swear. No one will blame you."

The man bites his lower lip. But he raises his gaze to meet Antonio's. "I'm merely working for them," he says, voice is barely audible. Antonio has to listen really hard to pick out his words. "And they can hear us."

Just when the last word escapes his lips, a strong wind blows from nowhere, blowing off the roof and showering them with dust and splinters. Antonio ducks and covers his head with his arms, wincing as he feels splinters rain down on his back. He stays like that until he can't hear the strong whistling of the wind anymore. Slowly, he lifts his head, studying the mess around him. The roof is gone, and only some of its remaining is there. That's why he's still alive, because only the small parts of the roof come down there. Antonio pulls himself to his feet and gazes around. His palms go cold as he realizes that his friends and the man are nowhere to be found. He tries calling out Gilbert and Francis' name but receives no answer. He searches through the mess for them, but to no avail. Standing there alone, Antonio is devastated.

_What the hell had happened?_

The night wind tickles the back of his neck. Antonio shivers, and the man's words echo in his minds.

"_I'm merely working for them, and they can hear us."_

/

_Think. I must think._

Antonio walks back to the town, night sky looming above him, dark and dotted with stars. A glance at his watch indicates that it's 9 in the night. The town's streets are crowded with people going home from work. Smell of dinner streams out from the restaurants, and Antonio once again feels so alone and helpless. But he refuses to give up. Not now, not ever.

That's when he remembers Feliciano. He mentally slaps himself. Even though he has to find Romano, he still has his other son to worry about. Reluctantly, he decides to continue his search tomorrow. He lets his feet take him to Elizabeta's apartment.

When he arrives, Elizabeta is teaching Feliciano a new song as her husband Roderich playing piano on the background. On the sight of his father, Feliciano's face lit up more and he launches himself on Antonio. "Dad!"

Antonio smiles and lifts him on his arms. "Hi, Feli. Have you been a good boy?"

Elizabeta chuckles. "He's such an adorable kid, Antonio. You don't need to ask about that." Feliciano beams from his father's arms. "Ve, miss Elizabeta is so nice!"

Antonio forces a laugh. "Really? That's great. But we have to go home now, Feli. Say goodbye to Mrs. Elizabeta and Mr. Roderich."

Feliciano turns around and waves at them, smiling brightly. "Bye, miss Elizabeta! Bye, Mr. Roderich!"

"Thank you, Elizabeta, Roderich. Sorry for troubling you." Antonio gives them a slight nod, smiling. But his smile feels like just baring of teeth to him. His mind is too preoccupied to even put effort in smiling.

"You're welcome," Roderich adjusts his glasses and turns back to his sheet music. Elizabeta chuckles. "It's no problem at all, Antonio. You and Feli are always welcome."

_And Romano_, Antonio thinks bitterly. "Thanks again. We'll be leaving now."

The Hungarian woman escorts them to the front door and waves as they leave. Exiting into the street, Antonio buttons Feliciano's jacket. "It's cold tonight, Feli. Wear your jacket properly."

"Ve, okay, dad!" Feliciano chirps happily, grabbing his father's bigger hand with his smaller ones. "Hold hands, dad, ve!"

Antonio smiles down at him, not oblivious of how his other hand misses one more hand, one that belongs to his other son.

/

The next morning, after taking Feliciano to school, first thing Antonio does is going to Doctor von Bock's place. He has the feeling that man knows something. But still, he's surprised to see the bespectacled young man is actually standing in front of the building, waiting for him.

Seeing him, the doctor's gaze turns to a knowing one. When he's finally face to face with him, Antonio's words come out harsher than he had intended. "You know about it, don't you, Doctor von Bock?"

"I don't know much, but I do." Replies the man, voice calm and unwavering. Angered, Antonio grabs his collar.

"You know something and you pretend that you don't? Saying that I'm delusional, convincing me that my son doesn't exist, even I have my limits you know! Who are "they"? What are they intending to do with those children?"

"If you'd release me, Mr. Carriedo, I promise I'll tell you everything I know, even if it's not much." Doctor von Bock's face remains calm, and Antonio wants to punch him, but restrains himself and releases him instead.

"You'd better," he growls. "Or I'll punch the hell out of you."

"Let us talk about it in my car," the doctor points a small modest car that's parked on the building's parking lot. "I will take you to their place, so let me explain on the way. Shall we?"

Antonio's eyes narrow. "Is this a trap?"

"It's not," Doctor von Bock shakes his head and gives him a reassuring look. "I'm not one of "them", although it's up to you to believe it or not."

Antonio's mind is in war between getting into the car and letting himself be taken straight to where might be a trap, or not taking the risk but be in clouds forever. He's fully aware that he's wasting every seconds, but he can't help but think long and hard.

If this is a trap and he's killed, who's going to take care of Feliciano? But he can't leave Romano. Ever. He can't and won't leave him and accept the fact that he doesn't even exist.

So Antonio makes the decision. "Take me there."

Doctor von Bock nods and leads him to his car. They get inside and he steers the car into the busy street of the town. For the first 5 minutes, both of them are silent, until Antonio finally decides to break it. "So, what do you know about this, doctor?"

"Just Eduard please, Mr. Carriedo. Right now we're not doctor and patient," His gaze is kept on the street, steering the car through the lining vehicles and busy traffics smoothly. "Let's start with I know that what they're doing is an experiment."

"Experiment?" He has vaguely suspected that but it still gives him a twist inside his stomach.

"Yes. I don't know exactly what they're trying to accomplish, I just know that it has something to do with human. Be it our feelings, or maybe in this case, the bond between humans."

"How do you know about this?" Antonio asks, suspicion begins to rise. "People have forgotten, my friends, Romano's, even Feliciano. How can you know about this if you're not one of them?"

The car halts on the red traffic lamp. Eduard turns his gaze to him. "Because I'm working with the government."

"The government is aware about this?" Antonio's eyes widen. "They know about this and they do nothing? This is about life and death!"

"They are," Eduard nods and steers the car forward as the traffic lamp turns green. "But, the government can only monitor "their" trials. They are well aware that they have no power to stop "them" doing whatever "they" want."

"Who are "they"?" Antonio tenses on his seat. "Who exactly are "they" that even government can't do anything?"

Eduard is silent for a moment, as they drive past the suburbs of the town where buildings and vehicles become less. "I don't know."

Antonio sighs in exasperation, slumping on his seat, watching as the scene around them runs past. They spend the rest of the trip in silence. Antonio thinks hard and desperate along the way.

_Even government can't do anything. The chances I can find Romano is slim._ He bites his lip.

_But if I give up, who will find him and bring him back?_ He remembers his little Romano, grumpy, often scowling, doesn't have many friends, always denying his true feelings, unable to be really honest, and lonely.

_I won't give up. Not until he's back with me, safe and sound._

Eduard swerves his car to the courtyard of a dilapidated building. That building is obviously abandoned for a long time, from the torn out paint, rusted wall, some broken windows, and the torn off doors. Some of the letters that formed the name of the building have come down, but Antonio can still make out the letters Q-E-T A—LI—ES.

Then it comes to him like tons of bricks. **Quest Airlines**. The name of the airplane that crashed, the one that he thought Romano was riding in. He tears his gaze from the building to Eduard, who turns off the engine and gestures him to get off the car. "I know," He says knowingly, a hint of sympathy in his eyes. "This is where they start."

They get off the car and approach the building. The closer they get, Antonio can make out the figure of a man wearing the same black coat, standing on the door frame, waiting for them.

They stop in front of him. The man is tall and muscular, spiky hair and serious face. He looks down at them, but stay silent. Eduard is the first to speak.

"It's over."

The agent just looks at him, expression unchanged.

"Stop the experiment," Eduard says, his face too is serious. "It will only cause more harm if you continue."

"It's not over." The man replies, voice cold and hard. Moving his gaze from Eduard to Antonio, he says to him. "You're part of the experiment too."

"Obviously," Antonio glares at him coldly. "What do you want to accomplish with your absurd experiment? Where do you keep the children?"

"To test," The agent pointedly ignores his last question. "Whether or not the bond between parents and child can be diminished."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Antonio's whole body tremble from anger. "Just for that purpose and you kidnapped the children? Making even their closest people forget about them? Erasing their existence? That's bullshit!"

"That is needed," The agent says, unfazed by his outburst. "Judging by our observation, nowadays bonds between parents and children are fragile. It's easily broken by arguments and inability to understand each other. There are families that aren't even close. Each of them live for himself. So we want to test, to find out if family's bonds have already decayed, and humans are living only for themselves."

Antonio falls silent on that, fists are clenched on his sides. _Even though it's true, but not all of us are like that._ Anger rises inside him. _Romano has to go through all these because of our, human's, foolishness?_

"He's just a child," Antonio manages to say. "You make him go through all these for something that isn't even his fault?"

"He's human, and you're too," The man's tone is stony, harsh, but also annoyingly calm. "And in your case, your memories can not be erased."

He stops for a moment, before concluding, "You refuse to deny his existence."

"Because he does exist." Antonio replies, just as cold.

It's the agent's turn to fall silent, seeming to be registering his words. Slowly, he shifts on his feet, allowing Antonio to look behind him. And his breath hitches in his throat. There, standing few feet behind the man, is his son. Dark hair, hazel eyes, the stubborn curl that sticks out in front of him, the trademark scowl. It's really him.

And he turns around and starts running, away from him. Antonio is snapped back to reality and he takes off after him, shouting his name. "Romano!"

But the boy keeps running through the seemingly endless building. The distance between them hardly decreases, and Antonio has almost run out of breath. But he refuses to stop. "Romano! Why are you running away? It's dad!"

Not even turning around, the child keeps running, but now Antonio is getting closer.

_Just a little more_

He stretches out his hand, now just inches away from the boy's back.

_Let's go back together_

He almost succeed to grab him when suddenly the world spins around him and everything turns dark.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

I've just checked my email and noticed that this story has 18 alerts O_O. Thank you so very much for reading this fic *sniff*

This week is pretty busy and I'm glad that I managed to finish this chapter before weekend.

The agent who talks to them in the building is Netherlands.

About 5-6 chapters more to go, so is it too much to ask to bear with me till the end? :)

Constructive criticisms are always welcomed.

Sorry for the bad writing, bad grammar, and OOC-ness.

**Thank you for reading, reviewing, putting this in your alert and/or fave. They really mean a lot to me :D**


	6. Chapter 6 I'm sorry

**I do not own Hetalia nor the movie**

**And, happy birthday, Italy and Romano! :D**

* * *

><p>His alarm clock buzzes noisily from the bedside table, but Antonio just rolls in his sleep and snuggles his face deeper into the pillow. The pillow is soft and the sheet is warm. He wants to spend his entire day sleeping.<p>

He would have stayed like that if not for a small figure that hops onto his body, successfully knocking him awake. He yelps and shoots upward, surprising the one that woke him up and almost knocks him off the bed. But Antonio catches him on time.

"Feli, don't do that!"

"Ve, but you won't wake up, dad. And I can't make my breakfast by myself, and school's started soon, and mister editor called and asked me to wake you up and tell you that 'deadline is tomorrow' and he sounded scary so I thought I should wake you up."

Rubbing the sleep off his eyes, Antonio can pick up words here and there from his son's wave, some of them being 'breakfast', 'school', and 'deadline'. He puts Feliciano back on his feet on the floor and gets off the bed, stretching his back and yawns. "Okay, Feli. Dad's up now. Go wait for me in the kitchen, alright?"

Feliciano nods and walks out the room in small steps. Antonio gets his shirt randomly from the wardrobe and puts it on, then his pants. He opens the curtain and lets the warm morning sunlight pours in, illuminating the room and painting it in warm gold.

He leaves his room and gets into the kitchen, skillfully starts making breakfast that consists of waffles and orange juice. After breakfast, he helps Feliciano with his uniform and takes him to his school.

After waving him goodbye, Antonio starts his walk back to his apartment, humming softly along the way. It is a perfect day, almost, if not for the unshaken feeling that he's forgetting something. He tries to sort out today's schedule in his head. Feliciano's lunch, check. Taking him to school, check. Okay, he hasn't done laundry and his apartment needs cleaning. But it's something beside those two, something more important.

He passes a newspaper kiosk on the way, only paying a short glance, before he stops abruptly on his track and slaps his forehead. His work! The deadline's drawing near, and his editor even called him this morning! Groaning inwardly, he quickens his steps, hoping to arrive home faster. And it is such a nice day! He feels such a shame to spend it inside, doing his work. But he doesn't have a choice, he admits unwillingly.

That day passes like a blur to him. He goes home, buries himself on his desk chair and starts doing his work, gets a short interval for lunch, work again, and when he finally finishes, it's almost 5 in the afternoon. Time to pick Feliciano up from school.

Stretching his sore back, Antonio rises from his seat that he's been occupying since the morning and goes to fetch his coat from his room. He passes by Feliciano's room and finds the door's opened slightly. Antonio stops to take a glance inside and smiles. Despite his age, Feliciano always tries to keep things tidy. His toys are all inside the toybox, his pajama is hung on the hangar beside the wardrobe, and his books stand neatly in a line on the desk.

But there's something not quite right. Antonio frowns, trying to point what exactly is not, but after several seconds passed and he still doesn't have any idea, he shrugs and goes to take his coat, leaving for Feliciano's school.

The boy is waiting for him on his favorite bench, swinging his legs back and forth and humming his favorite song about pasta. But today he's not alone. One of his teachers, Antonio recognizes as Feliks, is sitting beside him, singing along with him. Antonio can remember him being his son's favorite teacher, because he's funny, was what Feliciano told him. He's the first one to notice Antonio and waves at him, grinning. Feliciano turns around and upon seeing him, he too waves at him, smiling cheerfully. "Dad!"

"Hi, Feli. Good afternoon, Mr Feliks." Antonio lets his son wrap his short arms around him in a hug and smiles to the Polish.

"Good afternoon, Feli's dad. Just Feliks is like, totally fine." The teacher grins to him and rises from the bench. "Feli just taught me this totally cute pasta song and I, like, think that I will teach that to my class tomorrow. It's totally adorable and it'll be awesome if the whole school start singing it."

"Oh, really? That's great!" Antonio smiles a wide smile and Feliks nods excitedly. A muffled giggle is heard from Antonio's stomach and Feliciano lifts his head, saying, "Ve, pasta for everyone!"

Antonio laughs and lifts him onto his arms. "Yep, pasta for everyone. But we should go home now."

"See you tomorrow, Feli." Feliks lifts his hand and they do high five. "Bye, Feli's dad."

"Thank you for today, Feliks." Antonio gives him a slight nod, smiling. "We'll be going now."

"Bye, Mr Feliks!" Feliciano waves at him as they leave the school ground.

/

That night, after sending Feliciano to his bed and kissing him good night, Antonio is ready for a deep and sound sleep, but when he makes his way to leave the child's bed, he feels a tug on his sleeve. He turns around and looks down at the little boy whose hazel eyes stare at him hopefully. He kneels down beside him.

"What's wrong, Feli?"

"You forget something, Dad, ve."

Antonio raises his brow. "I do?"

"You haven't read me the bible yet."

Antonio blinks. Feliciano keeps staring, but not long until he breaks into a giggle. "Dad, you look funny, ve."

Antonio laughs nervously and scratches the back of his head. "I guess I am, huh? Dad must be getting old too to forget to read you the bible." He opens the bedside drawer and pulls out a bible, small with modest black cover and golden letters on it. A bookmark sticks out from it, one with the red thick string to make it easier to find the marked page. Antonio opens the bible, shifting through the pages slowly. He feels it again, something that isn't right. He stops halfway and looks at his son. Feliciano's looking at him too, his head tilted lightly, waiting.

"Feli, who usually read you the bible?"

The boy blinks, his brows are furrowed. "Ve, of course it's you, Dad. Why do you ask?"

"Because," Antonio fumbles to find the right words. "Dad doesn't really remember having done that." When Feliciano mentioned it, he vaguely remembered the routine, but it's accompanied with a strange feeling, that it's just like he's living in a totally different world. His life isn't felt real.

Feliciano whines, "But you do, Dad. W-well," He sniffs and Antonio catches the sign of unshed yet tears. "Mom used to do it. But, after…after that, you were the one who does."

Shocked, Antonio falls silent. Yes, now he remembers that Lovi used to do it for their son. Inwardly, he's glad that he's still able to remember her and that the memory feels real. He remembers the accident as well, and Antonio's grips around the bible tighten. It is real too.

But then, if those are real, him reading Feliciano the bible must be too. So why does it feel not right?

"Dad?" Feliciano's voice snaps him back to reality, and he sees his son looking at him with worried and slightly scared expression. He forces out a smile.

"Sorry, Feli. I guess Dad's just tired. I'll start now."

Feliciano nods, although seems not fully convinced, and sinks back into his bed.

/

He can't sleep, even though he's tired. Feliciano has long fallen asleep in his room, and Antonio is on his bed now. He has switched off the lamp and let himself be enveloped in a comfortable darkness, but he can't sleep. His mind won't let him. He stares at the dark ceiling, and the painful memory plays like a movie inside his head.

That phone call was the last conversation he had with his wife. That night he called her to say that he might come home late, only to find that she was on her way from her work to pick their son up at Francis' house. He was surprised and worried, for the fact that it had started raining not too long ago.

"_**I'll be fine. It's just a damn rain. No big deal." She sounds irritated. "Don't be too fucking over-protective."**_

"_**But Lovi, it has started to be heavier," Antonio replies, trying to convince her. "I'll pick them up, so please go home now, or at least find shelter."**_

"_**You said you're going to be fucking late, so why should you? I'll be damn fine. Hopefully when I pick up the boys the rain has stopped. I don't want to be in that pervert bastard's house for more than 5 minutes."**_

"_**I can ask my boss for just several minutes. I'll go pick you up and we can go pick them up together. Where are you?"**_

"_**God, why should you be so hard? I'll be fine!" She cries out, exasperated. "I can do this on my own. You don't need to go out of your way just to pick us up."**_

"_**Lovi," Antonio pleads over the phone. "I'm not going out of my way. I want to. Please just tell me where you are." He glances out the window in worry. The rain indeed has grown heavier. The droplets hit the window quite loudly.**_

_**He hears sighs on the other side, and finally his wife grumbles, "Fine. I'll be at the usual grocery shop. I'm on my way there now."**_

"_**I'll be there soon," Antonio promises, making his way to his workplace's parking lot as he speaks. "So wait for me, okay?"**_

"_**Okay, okay. Really… I'll hang up now, the fucking rain is heavier and I don't want to be electrocuted by wet cellphone."**_

_**Antonio chuckles. "You won't, but okay. Be careful, alright?" He gets into the car and starts the engine. "I love you."**_

"_**I love you too, bastard."**_

And Antonio hated himself for not being able to arrive sooner. He still does now, even after the sessions with his psychiatrist. On her way to the said grocery shop, his wife was hit by a car whose driver lost control over. It slipped on the wet street. She died before the ambulance arrived.

He remembers picking his sons up at Francis' house, eyes bloodshot and face stained with tears. Francis had heard about that and pulled him into a manly hug. After that, he took Matthew out of the room to give the family some privacy. Antonio remembers kneeling down in front of his two sons, pulling them into a tight hug, not saying anything.

He remembers the funeral. He didn't cry anymore that day. Feliciano was crying, but his other son didn't. The kid tried to be strong, he's the older brother. But he saw him crying too after the funeral, face buried in his knees and whole body shook with the sobs. Antonio remembers his stuttered words of how it was his fault. If he didn't go to Matthew's place with Feliciano, their mother wouldn't need to pick them up there. She wouldn't die.

And Antonio knew, despite him telling his son that it certainly wasn't his fault, if someone was to blame it was the stupid reckless driver, but the boy would never be convinced. Because he remembers the night several days after the funeral, he passed by their room and noticed the dim light of the bedside lamp. He had stopped and took a peek from the slightly opened door. His sons hadn't slept. The younger had climbed onto the older one's bed, and the latter was reading him the bible. The younger sniffled under the blanket, one hand gripped his brother's. The older kept reading, voice low and somehow shaky. And when he finally closed the bible and looked at his brother's tear-stained face, he was crying too.

Antonio remembers that he can never forget what he heard after that.

"I'm sorry, Feli," Romano sniffed. "I'm sorry Mom's not here. I'm so sorry she can't read the bible to us anymore. I'm so sorry she won't make us breakfast and pasta anymore, or sing to us, or teach us how to paint. I'm really sorry."

And before he realizes, tears have started to form on his eyes. Antonio sits up, blinking into the darkness of the room, letting the cold tears fall down his cheeks. He lets the memory sinks in, along with the realization. He knows what's missing. He knows what causes the strange feeling he's been feeling since this morning.

It isn't only a son. He has two sons. They have twin sons.

Feliciano and Romano.

Romano.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

Sorry that this came a bit late.

I realize that some readers still don't understand about what really happened. I don't know it's a good thing or not, so if you feel that it's become too confusing or doesn't make sense, feel free to say so or PM me to ask about what you don't understand.

Just a side note, before Lovi died, Antonio worked in a restaurant. But after her death, he became a writer in a newspaper so he could still take care of his sons while working.

Constructive criticisms are always welcomed, but please no flame.

Thank you for reading, reviewing, putting in alert and/or favorite, and sticking with me through this *hugs all of you* I've said this but they really mean a lot to me.


	7. Chapter 7 Searching again

**I do not own Hetalia nor the movie**

* * *

><p>"Ve, where are we going, dad?" Antonio is buttoning the coat over the sweater that his son wears. His face is neutral, masking the anxiety that itches beneath. He gives Feliciano a smile, tightening the scarf around the little boy's neck a bit.<p>

"We'll go for a walk today, Feli. Isn't that great?"

Feliciano's face brightens, but a confused expression soon replaces it. "But I have school today, dad, ve…" Antonio flinches inwardly. "I know. But today's just a great day to have a walk, so school can wait. I'll go tell Ms. Bella about this. Okay?"

His son nods, and Antonio grins to him, pinching his cheeks lightly before putting his knitted hat on his head. "Well, now you're ready!" Feliciano giggles and nods, slipping his hand into his father's. Antonio grips the small hand tightly but gently and slips into his shoes. Then both of them are out of the apartment, into the cold and gray-colored sky outside.

They walk together, hand in hand, on the street. It is bustling with life despite the weather, but for Antonio it all seems unreal. The only things that are real are his memory about his wife, Feliciano's warm and small hand inside his own, and the absence of Romano's hand in his other one.

Even after the revelation last night, he still doesn't know what exactly happened and where to look. He only knows one thing, Romano is missing and it's not just missing. It's just like he vanishes from this world, erased like he is never there to begin with. The anxiety that has been lingering in his chest is now mixed with a slight anger. Whoever does that, he got guts.

They arrive at Feliciano's school a little past eight. The courtyard is filled with children rushing into the building since the bell has already rung. Antonio walk through the hallway, carefully brushing past the smaller children, Feliciano's hand is still in his. Miss Bella is standing outside the classroom, waiting for all the children to enter. She spots them and gives them a warm smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Carriedo. Hi, Feli! It's not usual for you to be late."

Feliciano waves to her and gives her an innocent smile, and her smile widens on the sight. Antonio smiles to her and says, "Good morning, Miss Bella. Well, I'm afraid today Feliciano won't be attending school, so I come to explain."

The Belgian woman looks at him, her brows furrow slightly in concern. "Did something happen, Mr. Carriedo?"

"No, no," Antonio shakes his head and gives her a reassuring grin. "Just, it's a family matter."

"Oh, I see," She nods in understanding, but still looks a little concerned. "If there's anything I can do to help, I would gladly do."

"That's really kind of you," Antonio replies, sincerely. "But really, nothing is wrong. Please don't worry." He looks down at Feliciano and motions him toward his teacher. The boy smiles to her and says, "Ve, see you tomorrow, Miss Bella!"

The young woman laughs endearingly and pats his head. "See you tomorrow, Feli." Then she and Antonio excuse themselves politely as she enters the classroom and the Spanish man leaves for the principal's office with his son.

The principal is a nice woman, short grey hair with hairclips on the left side, a gentle expression, and a pair of otherworldly big boobs. Even now, Antonio still wonder if there's other person in this world who has boobs as big as hers.

Ms. Iryna smiles warmly to them as they enter. "May I help you?" Antonio returns her smile before kneeling down and says to Feliciano, "Feli, why don't you wait outside? Dad won't be long. There's a bench just outside the office, right? Don't go anywhere, just wait there."

Feliciano answers him with a silent nod, seems confused but doesn't ask. After he leaves, Antonio walks over to the principal's desk, and the woman stands up, sensing the serious air.

"I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, Ms. Braginskaya. I'm Antonio, father of Feliciano Vargas."

"Don't be too formal with me, Mr…" The Ukrainian woman smiles to him, warm and comforting.

"Carriedo,"

"Mr. Carriedo. Just Iryna is fine. May I help you with anything?"

This is the difficult part. Antonio fidgets with his fingers. "I'm looking for someone, Ms. Iryna. If you can be so kind as to help me by looking in the school database,"

The principal eyes him questioningly, but her eyes don't lose their warmth. "May I ask who are you looking for, and for what purpose, Mr. Carriedo?"

"It's my son," Antonio replies, the words sound weird even in his tongues, and he feels a pang of guilt. "Not Feliciano. My _other_ son, Romano. I can't tell you why, I'm sorry."

Ms. Iryna raises both eyebrows at that, seems really confused but concerned. "Is he missing? If he is, you should call the police, Mr. Carriedo."

"It's complicated," Antonio sighs lightly, frustrated. "I can't explain, I'm really sorry, Ms. Iryna. But please, I need to find him."

The principal eyes him for another moment before motioning him to sit down. "Please wait just a moment." She herself sits down and starts typing on her computer. "His full name is…?"

"Romano Vargas." Antonio tries to suppress his anxiety, but to no avail. His palms start to sweat as the woman behind the desk begins to scroll down the list.

Five full minutes passed, Ms. Iryna's eyes scan the list twice, then three times, before she finally shakes her head, face sympathetic. "I'm truly sorry, Mr. Carriedo. But I can't seem to find him. There's no one in this school goes by that name." Antonio bites his lower lip. For some reason, he has predicted that this would happen. But is it so foolish to still try?

"I see…" He rises from his seat, and the principal does as well. "Thank you very much for your help, Ms. Iryna."

"I didn't do anything," the kind woman replies, eyes glint with a hint of sadness. "I must apologize."

"No, you've done everything you can," Antonio forces a smile, trying to assure her. "I really appreciate it. Now if you'll excuse me."

They shake hands and Antonio leaves the room. Feliciano throws himself into his father upon seeing him. "Ve, is everything okay, dad?"

Antonio nods and pats his head, smiling a shaky smile. "Yes. Now, let's get going."

-o-

They venture around the town aimlessly, Antonio tries to keep Feliciano happy and unaware. But when the sky turns orange and red, they set down at a nearby park. Antonio recognizes it as one that kids usually play in. There are already some kids there. Some playing tags, some climbing the jungle gym, the others playing in the sandbox.

Antonio recognizes almost all of them. They are the children that usually play with his sons. One of them, a blue-eyed and blonde haired boy, comes running to them, face bright and a strand of hair stands proudly on his head, defying all gravity possibilities. "Hi, Feliciano! Let's play!"

The boy is Alfred, Antonio recalls. The younger brother of Arthur, his rival when he was in high school, and cousin of Matthew. Antonio still can't fully understand how the family bear children, since Arthur is only one year younger than Francis, his uncle. Well, his family is unique in the first place, so Antonio decides not to question it anymore.

Feliciano looks at Antonio, face hoping, and Antonio nods, smiling. The boy's face breaks into a wide smile and he gives his father a short but tight hug before running to play with Alfred. Antonio sighs and sits down on the bench, trying to sort his thoughts out.

Romano is missing.

He didn't remember about him the night before, didn't even know that he exists.

Feliciano claimed he doesn't have a brother.

Romano is not in the school database.

Well, so much for trying to sort things out inside his brain. Antonio lets out a frustrated sigh and lets his eyes stray away to the children. There's Kiku, a quiet Japanese boy that is also best friend with Feliciano and Alfred; he's playing with them on the jungle gym. Peter, Arthur's another little brother, is also playing on that, but at the opposite side, while waving around a small flag. Upon a closer inspection, it is Sealand's flag.

In the sandbox are Mei, Yong-Soo, Xiang, and another Asian boy he doesn't know yet wearing a pair of glasses with his hair combed tidily. He looks slightly similar to Thai, who's trying to get Linh to smile by making jokes not too far from the sandbox.

Really, if Arthur's family is unique, Yao's is more unique and almost otherworldly. If not, how the hell did he manage to have little brothers and sisters, all from different nationalities in Asia while he himself is a Chinese?

All those children are cute, and Antonio lets himself smile a little. Then he stands up and walks over to where Arthur and Yao are sitting. Seeing him, Arthur scowls and Yao raises one eyebrow questioningly.

"It's not usual to see you here, _aru_. You usually just come to pick Feliciano up." Antonio cringes at the lack of mention of Romano.

"I'm just in the mood today," he replies, not bothering to think for more proper excuse. "And can I ask both of you something?"

Both look at him questioningly. Antonio hesitates, is he really going to do it? They will think he's crazy. But he quickly shakes that thought away. This is for Romano, and he'll do anything. Only the thought of his son and his determination is renewed.

"Have you seen Romano around?"

"Who, _aru_?"

"My son. Feliciano's twin brother."

"Are you out of your mind, you git?" Arthur's scowl deepens. "You only have one son, I'm bloody sure of that."

"He's right," Yao nods. "As far as I've seen, you've only brought Feliciano here all these times. But I don't know if he has a brother, _aru_."

Arthur tchs. Yao frowns at him. "You can't deny that I got the point there, _aru_. We've only seen that boy, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a brother." He looks up at Antonio. "But if that's true, why do you ask us? We won't know."

Yao indeed is wise, and Antonio is thankful for that. He doesn't need Arthur's hostility towards him to worsen the situation. "You're right. I'll go ask the kids. Thanks." But when he's about to leave for the jungle gym, he notices a small racket in the sandbox.

A young man, 20 at the most, is kneeling down, talking to Xiang. Deep blue eyes, blonde hair that is pinned back on one side with a cross-shaped hairclip. His face is desperate.

"You know him, right, Xiang? My brother."

"I don't understand what you're talking about, mister. I don't even know you."

"But you've got to know my brother. He's best friend with you."

_Wait, that sounds familiar_. Antonio stops on his track, watching as the conversation becomes more tense. The question, the desperate tone, that reminds him too much of the incident today.

"I don't have any best friend. You've got a wrong person, mister."

"I don't. I'm sure of it. Please, just take a moment to remember. I have to find him." The young man bites his lower lip before continuing. "And you're my only hope to know where he is."

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Xiang takes a step back, clearly uncomfortable and slightly annoyed, or maybe scared. That kid's expression is hard to read. His other siblings in the sandbox have stopped playing as well and eyeing them warily. The youngest, Mei, starts to look scared. From the corner of his eyes, Antonio sees Yao rises to his feet, face wary.

"His name's Emil. You've got to remember. That's all I ask of you, Xiang. Please…"

The Chinese boy shakes his head and takes another two steps back. "I told you, I don't know what you're talking about." Before the young man has the chance to say anything else, Yao steps in, standing protectively in front of his younger siblings who gathers behind him in the sandbox, curious and scared eyes peek out from behind his back.

"What business do you have with my brother, if I may ask, _aru_?"

The man stands up, looks at Yao with a depressed look and replies, "My brother's missing. He's best friend with your brother, so he must know something."

Yao looks back to the said boy, but Xiang shakes his head. "I don't know what he's talking about," he replies, slightly irritated. Yao returns his eyes to the man before him. "You heard him."

Before the man has any chance to answer, the conversation is once again interrupted, this time by Antonio. He steps in between the two men and raises both hands in front of them. "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. Let's just not be all emotional." He gives Yao an apologetic look and Yao sighs, nodding. "Alright, _aru_. But he better not disturb my brothers anymore."

The young man opens his mouth to argue, but Antonio puts a hand on his shoulder and gives him a meaningful look. Yao goes back to his seat on the bench and Antonio motions the young man to another bench at the other side of the park.

After both of them sit down, he says, "I know your situation. Because I'm in the same one."

The man's eyes widen a bit, but he seems to believe him. "Then, someone in your family has… disappeared?"

"I see that you've got grasp of the situation, since you say 'disappear' and not 'missing'." Antonio smiles ironically. "To answer your question, yes. It's my son. Twin brother of my son over there." He gestures toward Feliciano who's climbing the jungle gym with Alfred and Kiku.

The young man doesn't say anything, just gives him a sympathetic nod. So Antonio continues, "It's your brother?"

"Yes," the man nods. "My younger brother, Emil." He falls silent again, face desperate.

"I'm Antonio," Antonio says, stretching out his hand. "If you want to look for him, we better do it together. Two is better than one, right?"

The young man returns the shake. "Christian. But you can just call me Chris."

Antonio smiles a small smile to him. "Alright, Chris. Now we need to sort things out. Then maybe, hopefully, we'll get something."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

So sorry for the very late update. m(_ _)m

A lot happened, but it's fine now.

So sorry for any OOC-ness here. Yao's siblings here are Japan, Taiwan, Korea, HongKong, Macau, Thailand, and Vietnam.

As usual, constructive criticisms are always welcomed. Thank you for reading and reviewing :DD


	8. Chapter 8 Conclusion

**I do not own Hetalia nor the movie**

* * *

><p>White ceiling of his apartment. Curtains ruffle softly on the window, wind's playing with them. Dizzy, he's dizzy. And he sits up.<p>

He's dizzy, everything feels messed up inside his head, but he's perfectly awake all at the same time. The sight of the terribly creased newspaper on his bedside table clears his brain.

That damn airplane that crashed to a mountain, that damn airplane that killed his _brother_, his 10-year-old brother. And Christian Thomassen clenches his fists, gripping the white sheet so hard it wrinkles in his palms.

"Norge, you awake? Breakfast's ready!" The knock on his door and the familiar voice filled with energy and warmth knock him out of his misery and he replies with a short, "Be there in a minute," before getting off his bed. He changes his pajamas with shirt and pants, wearing his hoodie on top of that, and grabs the newspaper. He makes a ball with it and throws it into the trash bin below his desk with such force that the bin shakes a bit upon impact.

Clipping his bangs back with the cross-shaped hairclip (a gift from his childhood friend and now roommate), he exits his room into the kitchen, where his roommate Mathias has just finished setting the table. The Danish man grins at him. "Morning, Norge. You're such a sleeping beauty today."

"Shut up," Chris replies curtly, sitting down in one of the chairs. Mathias' grin just grows wider at the harsh reply and he sits down as well. Munching the pancake, he starts a morning conversation. "So, what's new these days?"

"Nothing," Chris takes a sip of his coffee, hot and familiar, it tickles his throat. "Not that I read newspaper recently."

"But I saw one on your bedside table yesterday," Mathias plops another slice of pancake into his mouth. "I thought it's a new edition."

"You know that it's the newspaper from 2 months ago," Chris replies, tries to keep his face and tone blank.

"What do you intend to do with an old newspaper?" Mathias asks, eyeing him in slight amuse.

Chris sighs, feeling slightly irritated. "If you want to mock me, just get straight to the point, Mathias." His roommate blinks. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you always tell me to get over it," Chris lets out a light exasperated sigh, can no longer keeping his blank expression. "But it's just too hard for me. So can you please not telling me to this way?" He sends a chilly glare to the man across him on the table. "Tell me straight to the point rather than by mocking me, pretending that you don't know."

"Whoa, whoa, Norge, chill out," Mathias holds out his hands in defense. "Take a deep breath." Obeying, Chris slumps back into his chair, sinks deeper. Mathias looks at him with concern, genuine concern. "I don't know what you're talking about, honest."

"Mathias, are you really such a fool?" Chris says through gritted teeth. "That incident two months ago. Don't tell me you've forgotten already." _As much as a fool you are, you are not foolish enough to forget about Emil_.

"What incident?" His friend asks back, starting to look confused. _In the name of Odin, is he really such a fool?_

Chris stomps to his room and returns in seconds with the newspaper ball in his hand. He tries to fix it as best as he can with his growing impatience, and shoves it into the Dane's chest. "Read it for yourself." Mathias obediently reads through the passage, before lifting his head to look back at his Norwegian friend, who's back on his seat across him on the table, arms crossed and dull blue eyes stares at him, waiting.

"Well? Does that enlighten you?"

Mathias puts the crinkled newspaper on the table, and replies. "It is indeed an unfortunate accident. But I can't see-"

"Is that all you can say?" Chris cuts him harshly, voice rising in volume. "Emil's dead, and that's all you can say? An unfortunate accident?"

"Who?" An uncomfortable silence falls on the question. Both Mathias and Chris stare at each other. One confused, the other unbelieving. "What do you mean by who?" The Norwegian looks at his friend, eyes narrowed dangerously. "Just what exactly did you mean by who?"

Mathias backs off slowly on his seat, face is even more confused than before. "I meant what I said. Who is Emil?"

"And what," Chris slowly rises from his seat. "do you mean by that? Do I have to remind you again or are you pulling a really horrible prank on me?"

"Norge, I'm serious!" Mathias stands up too, although defensively. "I'm not pulling a prank or joking here. What are you talking about? Who's Emil?"

Chris slams the table with his hand. "Maybe Loki has tricked you last night or what," he says, voice icy cold. "Emil, my younger brother, the one you always claimed to be your younger brother as well."

"But Norge," Mathias almost whines. "You don't have any brother. You're an only child."

And he can almost feel the temperature in the room drops instantly on the statement.

-o-

He has stormed out of his apartment right after breakfast, ignoring Mathias' confused voice that called out to him. _He is crazy,_ he thinks, shoving his hands deeper into his coat. That day is cold and he forgot his gloves. Lucky that he remembered to wear his coat on the way out.

His feet take him to a familiar apartment building not too far from his, and he climbs the stairs to the second floor, to the apartment of his other friends. _Maybe they know how to deal with his overloading craziness._ The door is wooden but strong, he raises his palm and knocks. The door is opened and he's greeted by a familiar friendly face, eyes warm and a bright smile on his face.

"Chris, it's unusual for you to visit this early in the morning!" Tino steps aside and cocks his head a bit. "Please come in."

The apartment isn't that large, but homey. Berwald is sitting on the dining chair, a newspaper in hand. He lifts his head a bit upon seeing him and murmurs a short "Good morning" before returning to his reading. Tino motions him to sit on one of the chairs, and he takes the other.

"Would you like coffee?" He asks, reaching a small thermos sitting at the center of the table. Chris shakes his head. "I've had breakfast. Thanks." Tino nods in understanding and pours for himself instead. "Is something the matter?"

"Mathias' craziness is out of boundaries today," Tino looks at him almost sympathetically with a hint of defeat. "He always 's," Berwald says from behind his newspaper. Ironically, all of them have come to accept it. Mathias Kohler is a fool.

"True," Chris nods lightly. "But today it's terrible."

"What did he do?" Tino sips his coffee, eyeing him. Berwald flips to the next page.

"He says he doesn't know Emil," Chris inspects the pattern of the wooden table, tracing it with his fingers. "He says that I don't have a brother."

Tino blinks, Berwald lowers his newspaper a bit. Chris notices their (or rather, Tino's since Berwald's face is too hard to read) confusion, and he halts his upcoming words.

"Chris," Tino speaks up, looking at him worriedly. "But you don't."

-o-

Is it true? Is it true that he never has a brother to begin with? Chris starts to feel terrible as he walks down the street, no particular destination in mind. Then Mathias is not crazy. He's the one who's crazy. Or is he?

If he is, then it is true that he doesn't have a brother. That someone named Emil is just someone his wild imagination creates. Imaginary, his delusion. Chris bites his lower lip. No one wants to admit that he himself is crazy or delusional.

But if he isn't, then something must have happened, something wrong. Because how come is he the only one who remember? How come Mathias and Tino and Berwald, his best and closest friends, all of them love Emil, all looked at him like he's grown a second head and told him that he doesn't have a brother?

The first possibility seems to be the most likely, because it is confirmed by more than one person, but his mind and his heart insist. Insist that Emil Thomassen, a ten-year-old child with silvery hair, Icelandic inherited from his mother, has a puffin plushie he still keeps even now beside him on the bed, his brother, exists.

He has a headache now. The world around him whisper the first possibility into his ears, forcing their way into his brain. But his feelings and his vague memories tell him otherwise, screaming from inside.

He's too preoccupied with his thoughts that he doesn't notice someone following him. His heart jumps to his throat as a strong arm grabs his shoulder and yanks him backwards. He yelps and whips his head wildly around, trying to see the culprit among the sea of people, but he only sees the flash of black and the arm drags him forcefully. Chris tries to break free, but the man (?) is much stronger than he is. _Am I going to be kidnapped?_ He shakes away the thought and starts fighting harder, struggling and scratching the man's arm trying to get him to release him. The crowds around him only sees before they resume what they're doing. No one is going to help.

"Hey! Watch out when you walk, sir!" An annoyed shout sounds through the crowds. The man's grip on him loosen, distracted, and Chris uses that chance to scratch it so hard it drips blood. The man screams in pain and with a final strong pull Chris is free and he runs away, brushing past people in the crowds, his heart hammering inside his chest. He doesn't even look back to see if the man's pursuing him or not. He just keeps running. Turning left on the intersection, the sight of a familiar small shop greets him and without a second thought he rushes inside, panting heavily.

"Whoa, kind of a spirit you have there, young man." He lifts his head on the voice, still trying to catch his breath. A man wearing a small weird mask and an apron is behind the counter, looking at him with a slight amusement. "I've never seen someone so eager to enter my shop."

Chris knows him. Sadiq, the shop owner, a Turkish man who's somehow weird but friendly. His shop is Emil's favorite and he often treats that kid to lunch when he visits. He himself has only visited this shop once though. He heard most of the stories from Emil. Right now, Sadiq is still looking at him, one eyebrow raised. "Hey, are you okay?"

He manages a nod, straightening himself. The Turkish man still doesn't look that convinced, but he reaches to one of the rack and offers him a bottle of water. "You seem like you're in trouble. Here, my treat." Chris shakes his head in a polite refusal, but the man insists, hand still stretched out. He finally gives up and takes it, mumbling 'thanks'. Sadiq grins. "Don't see you often around here so it's a surprise. My shop's only visited often by regulars. Not that I complain."

"My brother's a regular," Chris says, voice a bit hoarse from running. "He often tells me about you."

"Oohh, really?" Sadiq scratches his chin. "What's he like? I remember my regulars you know."

"Silver hair, short, ten years old," Chris replies, looking at him almost expectantly. "His name's Emil. You often treat him to lunch he said."

Sadiq seems to be thinking, long and hard, before he, much to the Norwegian's dismay, shakes his head. "Sorry. Don't know anyone like that. And I'm very sure I remember my regulars."

Chris' heart sinks deeper. One more person to convince him that he's delusional. Great, just great. Sadiq eyes him for a moment. And when he speaks, his voice holds a slight concern. "Are you okay, pal?"

"I'm fine," Chris nods, opening the bottle and emptying the content in one big gulp before throwing it to the nearest trash can. "Thank you for the water, and for… the hospitality." The Turkish owner flashes him another grin before he exits the shop into the busy street, eyeing almost every corner of it warily before walking away in quick steps. Only one other person he can rely on, and if that person can't help him, then one, he's crazy and delusional, two, he's hopeless in finding his brother.

-o-

"That's what happened." Antonio nods in understanding, giving his new friend a sympathetic look. The Norwegian looks almost devastated, Antonio thinks he must look like this too, which reminds him, it feels that this is not the first time it happened to him.

Listening to Chris' story, his memories tug stubbornly on the back of his head to relate it with his own. He himself had woken up one day with the realization that his son's dead, then being told by Feliciano and someone else that he doesn't have another son. Yes, he can relate with that.

"You know, I think this is not my first time experiencing this." Antonio says slowly, working his brain to the maximum. "I think I've experienced this once before, in a situation very similar to yours." Chris turns his eyes to him, waiting him to continue with a slight confused look. "Yes?"

"I woke up, saw the newspaper, being reminded that Romano's dead, then being told by Feliciano that he didn't have a brother, and then someone else told me I was delusional," Antonio frowns deeply, trying to connect the dots. Something very important lays inside of his memory, his and Chris'. To find their precious persons, he must remember. "Then my friends whose son and brother were missing too didn't recognize me…" His voice trails off.

"Pardon me for interrupting," Chris cuts him softly, confusion is clear in his voice, and slight desperation. "But how can you recalling your past memories help us with anything?"

"There's something in there," Antonio replies, firm and desperate. "I'm sure of it. Just, just give me some time." Chris raises one desperate eyebrow before finally nodding.

"They didn't recognize me…" Antonio closes his eyes, digging harder through his brain. "Then they did, and we were followed by those men too, just like you." He hears his company's breath hitch beside him. "But they didn't get us, um, why?" He asks himself.

"You ran away? You went to the police?" He better help the man than sitting there doing nothing. Antonio shakes his head. "You tricked them?"

"That's it!" He exclaims loudly. "We tricked one of them!"

Chris nods, encouraging him. "And then?"

"We asked him where he kept the kids and what he did to them," the memories come more clearly now. "But…" Well, this sounds strange even for him. "All of a sudden there were a mini storm and when I was back in my senses, he was gone, along with my friends."

He can see that Chris almost sinks back on the final statement, but the younger man tries not to lose hope. "After that, where did you go?"

Antonio lets his gaze stray to the playing kids, and upon the sight of Thai finally get smacked by Linh, he says, "My psychiatrist."

"Why did you go to him of all people?" Chris frowns. A psychiatrist seems like someone with the biggest possibility to sentence you crazy.

"Because I thought he would know something," Antonio replies almost defensively. "And he did. He told me important things."

Chris tenses on his seat, now his attention is fully concentrated on Antonio. "What did he tell you?"

"It's an experiment," Antonio recalls through cloudy memories. "Government knows about it but can't do anything." The final piece, he just needs that and he'll know what's been bugging him. But it all comes back to the start, his mind tells him.

Chris looks like he wants to say something but Antonio cuts him. "Do you remember what the newspaper is about?"

"Why the newspaper now?"

"Just answer it. I'm trying to remember here."

"Airplane accident," Chris replies bitterly. "It crashed to a mountain, killing everyone in it."

_Airplane. Airlines_. "Do you remember the name of that airplane?" Something along a line with Q. Queue? Qwerty?

Chris falls silent, seems to be thinking harder. "Strange," He bites his lower lip. "I should remember, since I spent my night reading about that before sleeping these past two months, but now that you ask…"

"It's something with the letter Q I think…"

And both men's heads snap up almost in the same time.

"Quest Airlines." Antonio says, eyes wide in realization. And Chris nods in agreement.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Antonio stands up. "Give me a minute. I'll ask Yao to look after Feliciano, and we can go and end all of this."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

Sorry for the late update.

I don't know what else to say beside apologizing for any OOC-ness and the horrible grammars and the lack of vocabulary here m(_ _)m

Thank you for all who read and review and stay with this story through the end. :)

Only 2 chapters more. Actually it's one because the last one is considered an epilogue


	9. Chapter 9 Final Confrontation

**I do not own Hetalia nor the movie**

* * *

><p>The building still looks the same. Rusty, dilapidated, abandoned. But when Antonio and Chris step off the taxi and approach it, they can make out the figure of a young woman standing by the doorframe.<p>

Dark blue eyes, cold and piercing, and long smooth silver hair that falls gracefully on her back. She wears black dress that reaches her knees and black boots. She stands there unmoving as they stop before her. Before neither of them has the chance to say anything, she speaks, voice clear and tone downright cold.

"He wants to see you." Both eye her warily. "Who?" Antonio says.

"My leader," She replies curtly before turning around and starts walking inside. Antonio moves to follow her but a hand on his arm stops him. Chris looks at the woman's retreating back warily. "Are you sure we can trust her? This might be…" He swallows hard. "A trap."

He's right. Antonio can remember that time when he chased Romano (was it?) down, he had fallen right into the agent's trap. There's no guarantee that this time will be different. "You might be right," Antonio replies, "But if we don't do anything, we will never get anywhere." He pats the younger man on the shoulder and gives him a smile. "And now there are two of us. If something happens, at least one of us can escape and get help."

"If only it will be that easy," Chris sighs, voice heavy with anxiety and suspicion. "But you got a point." Antonio nods to encourage him and they start walking in, following the woman's trail.

Once inside, the sight of another figure greet them. The young woman has stopped and taken position next to a tall man, a bit behind him. Grey hair, a cream scarf that wrapped around his neck, contrast to the black coat he wears. His eyes are twinkling and he has a smile on his face, but it doesn't radiate cheerfulness, not quite. Rather, the smile is one of the I-know-something-that-you-don't kind. Antonio stops few steps in front of him, eyes narrowed warily, but he keeps calm. He can hear Chris stops beside him, keeping silent.

"It's nice to finally being able to meet with you, Mr. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." The man with scarf speaks, voice somehow cheerful, but Antonio feels sick to hear that tone. "I see that you and Mr. Christian Thomassen managed to meet too." The Norwegian tenses on the mention of his name.

"What do you want?" Antonio says, anger perfectly masked by his calm tone. "What do you want from us? What do you want from the children?"

The man tilts his head slightly. "I thought you were told about that, Mr. Carriedo." His brows furrow slightly, before his face is smooth again and he smiles. "Ah, but he made you forget again. I apologize, I forget that detail."

Antonio clenches his fists. This man angers him. He looks like he's actually having fun! But he remembers what his psychiatrist had advised him once. _Don't let emotions take control over you. When you're angry, that's when you lose_. So he takes a deep breath. The man watches him, looking slightly amused.

"Actually, your reason comes second for me," Antonio says. "What I, we, want to know now, is where the children are."

"They are safe, if that is what you wish to know," The man replies lightly, and Antonio feels a heavy burden is lifted from him. He doesn't realize that he lets out a sigh of relief. Beside him, Chris visibly relaxes. "But we can't give them back to you just yet." And suddenly his heart sinks again.

"What do you want?" Chris speaks out. He has successfully managed to keep his calm, and it looks like he does it better than Antonio because his face has gone blank again. "Tell us what do you want, what do you wish to gain by doing all this."

The man smiled to him, before turning his gaze back to Antonio. "We want to see, to test, to prove," and the memories flood back to Antonio. "Whether the bond between parent and child can be diminished or not."

"I don't understand," The Norwegian's voice is barely above a whisper. "Why?"

"Because for me, human are such strange creatures," The man is still smiling as he speaks. "It is said that family love each other, parents love their children, and children love their parents. But the fact we see nowadays is that the exact opposite happens." He puts his hand into his coat pocket and stares at both of them, eyes glinting playfully. "Families are torn apart with divorces and arguments. Parents kick out their own children and deny them. Children cut ties with their own parents. All of that happened with human, the same creatures who said that family love is the strongest of all kind of love."

No one says anything, no one is able to. Antonio suddenly feels ashamed, because what the man said is true. There is no denying it. But still, it is not right. What the man has done and is doing are not right. "Not all humans are like that."

"Probably," The man chuckles. "That's why we do this. We want to test if it is really true or not. But to be honest, you're a different case, Mr. Carriedo." He looks at him, eyes curious and studying. "You never truly forget. You never accept that your son doesn't exist."

"Your subordinate said that too," Antonio replies. Well, even though some humans are like what the man said earlier, he certainly doesn't want to be one of them. "And I'm going to give you the same answer as I did to him. Because he does exist." _And I love him_.

The man scratches his chin with his finger. "I don't understand you, Mr. Carriedo. You have twin sons. We spare you your other son, the younger one. We thought that you were the one with the highest possibility to forget permanently. But it turned out to be the exact opposite. You are the one that won't forget, even though you've been made to twice, while the other subjects such as Mr. Bonnefoy, Mr. Beilschmidt, and Mr. Thomassen only experienced it once." He looks at Antonio right into his eyes, violet into emerald ones. "Why don't you just go on with your life with your son, Feliciano, Mr. Carriedo?"

And at that, Antonio snaps. "Do you think humans are some kind of thing to be thrown around and replaced?" He remembers when the first time he met his wife, Lovi was one of those that are treated as such. Living under the shadow of her sister. "Humans are not things! We live, we breath, we feel emotions!" He always told her that what she thought about herself wasn't true. That when she was herself, it was who he loved the most. Herself. "Romano is Romano, and Feliciano is Feliciano. They are different, they will never be the same. If you think that I can replace one of them just because I have the other, then you are wrong. Really wrong." He can feel Chris' gaze at him, but he keeps his eyes on the man's. "You have failed. You would never truly understand humans."

After that, there is a long, suffocating silence. And Antonio is the one to break it again. "Give us back our children."

Finally, the man lets out a sigh and speaks. "I admit our failure, and as you wish, we will return the children. But…" He raises his gaze to meet with Antonio's once again, a smile once again creeps into his face. "We will not really stop our experiment. Because you've proved us that humans are such interesting creatures. They love, but they hate. They say peace, but they destroy. There is just no real answer to human nature."

"Do as you wish," Antonio growls. "But if you try to lay your hands again on those children, we'll make you regret that." The man chuckles. "I truly appreciate your determination and sincerity as a human, Mr. Carriedo. So I'll give you a reward." Antonio tenses at that. "You will be the only one that remembers this. You will be given back your normal life, but this talk, your journey, and everything that happened will remain in your memory."

He smiles and turns around, the woman shoots them a glare and follows him. Chris shoots Antonio a concerned look, but Antonio fixes his gaze to the retreating backs, wishing with all his might that he can burn a hole on them.

But nothing happens, and the two retreating backs become smaller and smaller until they disappear, leaving the two men alone in the building.

* * *

><p><strong>AN :**

Weirdly fast update, isn't it? But I was in the right mood to type in here it is!

About the reason of the experiment, the movie didn't explain it really well and it still confused me even now, so I try to make an explanation myself, which is maybe kind of cliche. My friend helped me with that too. According to the plot in wikipedia, **"the agents are merely helping "them" and that they do so to protect humankind."** And I don't understand that at all! How do you protect humankind by abducting their children and erasing their memories of them?

Apologizing for any OOC-ness, bad grammar, and horrible vocabulary.

Thank you for everyone who read this and stay with this through the end. :) The next chapter will be the last.


	10. Chapter 10 Epilogue

**Finally, I do not own Hetalia nor the movie**

* * *

><p>The sun is setting, painting the sky with orange and red with purple glooming on the horizon. Antonio blinks, and blinks.<p>

The park is crowded with children, and he can make out Yao and Arthur's figure at the other side of the park, sitting on a bench while keeping watch of their younger siblings.

Thai is playing tag (or chased around, no one can tell since he's always smiling) with Linh. Mei, Yong-Soo, and the other glasses boy are playing in the sandbox. On the other side of it, Xiang is building a sand castle with a silver-haired boy, it looks like they're chatting. On the jungle gym, Alfred, Peter, Kiku, Feliciano, and Ludwig are playing together. And on the swing set, Matthew is being pushed by…

"Romano!"

Antonio has never run that fast in his whole life, he thinks. Ignoring the surprised look the other children give him, he runs to his son and scoops him into his arms, hugging him so tight the child gasps for breath.

"I-Idiot dad!" Romano pounds on his back with his small fists. "I can't breath! Lemme go!" But Antonio holds him like that for several more seconds before finally letting go, still cradling the boy in his arms. Romano crosses his arms and puffs out his cheeks. "What was that for? You look like you haven't seen me for a hundred years, idiot dad."

Antonio laughs, free and relieved. He nuzzles his face to the boy's soft hair. "Dad is just too happy to see you again, Romano."

"I've been here all along, stupid dad," The kid mumbles, face flushed slightly. "I haven't gone anywhere."

_You have_, Antonio thinks, but Romano doesn't need to know about that and he's too happy to think about it so he responds by planting a kiss on each of the boy's cheeks. "Dad loves you, Roma."

Romano blushes another shade of red and mumbles, "I know, stupid dad." He nuzzles his head into the man's chest. "I love you too." Antonio smiles on the adorable words and he plants another kiss on top of the boy's head. "Dad loves you so much."

"Stupid dad!" Pulling away, Romano punches his chest half-heartedly. "Let me down now. Mattie's waiting." It's true, the Canadian boy has been watching them with a slightly flushed face, stuffed polar bear sitting on his lap. Antonio gives him a wide smile and sets his son down, although reluctantly.

"Been missing your son, _mon cher_?" He turns around on the familiar voice and sees his friends Francis and Gilbert approaching, both grinning widely.

"Franny! Gil!" He waves to them enthusiastically. "You're finally here!"

"What do you mean by finally?" Gilbert smacks him on the back. "The awesome me will never be late to pick up my awesome-but-not-as-awesome-as-me little brother." Antonio laughs heartily on that while Francis just rolls his eyes playfully.

"But let's let them have fun a little while longer," Antonio says, returning his gaze to the children, all playing and laughing and looking happy.

Gilbert shrugs. "Don't see why not." Francis nods in agreement and smiles on the sight.

The sound of the approaching steps makes Antonio turns his head to see the blonde-haired Norwegian approaches. Upon seeing them, he seems to be hesitating for a moment, but Antonio gives him a wide smile and says, "Why don't you join us? Your brother is having fun."

He seems surprised, but nods and stops beside them. Gilbert and Francis both turn to look at him. "Who's that, Toni?" Gilbert asks.

"He's here to pick his brother up," Antonio answers. Looking back to the younger man, he says, "I'm Antonio. And these are my friends, Francis and Gilbert."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Francis gives him a wink, and Gilbert moves to cover him from sight. "Don't scare him off, perv. Welcome aboard, kid! I'm the king of awesomeness Gilbert!"

The Norwegian blinks, and his face curved into a light smile. "Christian. Please just call me Chris."

And as Gilbert starts babbling to their new friend about his awesomeness and his awesome little brother, Antonio turns his gaze back to the children and sees Yao waving at him, Arthur glaring at his side. He waves back, smiling, before turning back to his friends and dragging them to the nearby bench with him.

As they chat, the sky slowly turns dark and the children finish their playing, saying goodbye to each other and promising to play again the next day. Chris excuses himself as the silver-haired boy leaves the sandbox, and he takes his younger brother's hand, leaving the park together.

Yao's siblings gather around him and once he makes sure they're all there, he takes Mei and Xiang's hand and walks home, Kiku and the glasses boy on his left side, Thai and Linh on the other side, and Yong-Soo swinging from his back. Arthur has left too with both Alfred and Peter talk endlessly about their day.

Ludwig, Feliciano, Matthew, and Romano approach them, and the three friends stand up. Francis scoops Matthew into his arms and asking him in French about his day. Gilbert gives Ludwig a cheerful slap on the back and asks him what he wants for dinner.

The French and the albino bid their "see you tomorrow" and they leave after Feliciano releases Ludwig from his hug and Matthew exchanges last chat with Romano.

Watching his friends leave, Antonio takes Feliciano's hand in his right one, and Romano's in his left. And smiling down to both of them, he squeezes their hands gently and says,

"Let's go home."

* * *

><p><strong>AN :**

The last chapter. Hope you guys who read this like this ending. :)

In the movie, the ending really lacked the emotion, so I added it here. And Chris doesn't remember about Antonio since they've only met when the incident happened. But Francis and Gilbert remember because they've been friends since before. The agent did say "You'll be given your normal life back".

Well, this is a piece of the plot which I copied from wikipedia. The first paragraph is the one for chapter 5-6 (I made it longer).

**Doctor Munce takes Telly to an airport and the dilapidated hangar of Quest Airlines and introduces her to an agent of "them". He tells the agent that's "It's over," and to stop the experiment because it will only cause more harm. The Agent replies, "It's not over," and then tells Telly that she has been a part of an experiment to test whether the bonds between mother and child can be diminished. In her case, her memories could not be erased. Telly refuses to deny her son's existence. She is then shown a door and through it she sees her son playing with toys. She tries to cross the doorway, but is repelled by an invisible barrier. The agent mentions that if he fails to erase her memory then he will look like a failure. The agent then subdues her and finally succeeds in erasing Telly's memory of Sam. But when a test question about the name of her son triggers a memory of her pregnancy, all of her memories of Sam return. This causes the Agent to be "abducted" himself supposedly for his failure to erase her memory, which ends the experiment.**

**Telly finds herself living a normal life, although she remembers everything that has happened. She reunites with Sam at a park. Also at the park is Ash, watching over his daughter. Like Sam, he has no memory of what has happened. Telly "re"-introduces herself, and the two sit and watch the kids play in the playground.**

Thank you so much for everyone that read, review, fave, alert, this story and stay with me to the end. Much much thank you and best wishes for all of you! :DD

~Resha04


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